University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Doi
Abstract
Fluency, or the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression, has been identified as a critical component of literacy attainment and has been consistently linked with reading proficiency. Interventions to promote reading fluency have focused on oral reading by elementary school students to teachers, parents, peers, and even therapy dogs. Although these interventions provide an enriching and effective mechanism to promote literacy attainment, they are inherently resource dependent requiring the presence of others. In order to provide effective literacy intervention that bolsters a student’s autonomy and that is less dependent upon other people as mediators, more research should be dedicated to understanding the child’s ability to practice oral reading regularly and independently through other engaging and interactive means. A six-week intervention to bolster reading fluency was designed in which third grade students engaged in oral reading to succulent plants. Measures of reading fluency including prosody, comprehension, and attitude towards reading were assessed to compare the intervention and control group on specific performance outcome measures (fluency and comprehension). The intervention group pre and post-test scores were associated with a significant increase in reading fluency as measured by words per minute and reading comprehension. In comparison to the control group of students who engaged in silent reading without a plant, the intervention group also demonstrated a significant increase in reading comprehension. Overall, 88% of the students in the intervention group reported enjoying the intervention. Although the small sample size of the study is a limiting factor, the findings provide initial support for an innovative intervention to promote reading fluency with elementary school students. Other methodological limitations, implications, and future studies are discussed.Doctor of Philosoph
