For years researchers and educators alike have been looking for successful methods of phonics instruction for students with disabilities. All too often, students with learning disabilities struggle with word attack and focus on the method in isolation, often omitting the other mutually important aspects of reading such as fluency and comprehension. In addition, students with disabilities have not been successful at sounding out multi-syllabic words as a result of their phonetic usage deficits. The purpose of this study was to determine if the method of repeated readings helps students with learning disabilities to develop secondary phonological awareness skills and thus, higher level vocabulary.
Students with learning disabilities read short take-home books with the researcher aloud at least twice per week. When a criterion rate of at least 85 words per minute and no more than five errors was achieved, a new book was started. Students kept track of their progress for each book on a chart posted in the classroom.
After five months, students were given the Word Identification Subtest of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised. These results were compared with a control group of students with learning disabilities who did not receive instruction in the method of repeated readings. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between vocabulary development for the group that participated in the repeated readings method and the group who received no repeated readings practice
