The Effects of Peer-Assisted Literacy Strategies for First-Grade Readers With and Without Additional Computer-Assisted Instruction in Phonological Awareness

Abstract

This research examined the efficacy and feasibility of (a) Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies for First-Grade Readers (1st-Grade PALS) conducted for 35-min sessions, three times per week for 16 weeks with first-grade children of varying reading ability, and (b) the impact of adding 8–10 hr of phonological awareness instruction via the computer to the curriculum already including 1st-Grade PALS with low-performing children. Conducted in naturally constituted academically heterogeneous first-grade classrooms, 36 first-grade teachers in eight schools in a southeastern medium-sized school district participated: 12 conducted 1st-Grade PALS, 12 conducted 1st-Grade PALS and computer-assisted instruction (CAI), and 12 continued their typical instruction. Within these classrooms, the impact of the interventions was investigated with 183 first-grade students (118 low-, 33 average-, and 32 high-achieving students). Data collected included (a) time-series phonological awareness and reading fluency data and (b) pre- and post-measures of concepts of print, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Students and teachers also were asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of the interventions. The results indicate that 1st-Grade PALS enhanced reading performance both in terms of statistical significance and in terms of educational relevance, although not equally for all learner types. Results also indicate that CAI in phonological did not impact student performance beyond that achieved with 1st-Grade PALS alone. Both students and teachers implemented 1st-Grade PALS with relative ease, demonstrated high fidelity, and reported high levels of satisfaction.