Effects of Repeated Reading and Rhyming Poetry on Reading Fluency

Abstract

This IRB approved study tested two methods to determine which one would be more beneficial to increase reading fluency in elementary school students. The study was conducted in a first-grade classroom with twelve students from a public school in Northeast Georgia. It focused on comparing the effects of repeated reading to the effects of rhyming poetry on students’ reading fluency. The rhyming poetry intervention used a combination of instruction to teach phonics and fluency while reading a passage. The repeated reading intervention had students repeatedly read a poem. The same poem was used for both interventions and consisted of rhyming words. Matched group design was used to place participants in ability groups based on their reading levels. The study was conducted over a four-week period and each intervention was given twice a week for ten minutes. At the end of each intervention week students were given an assessment that required them to orally read a list of words that contained the taught word family pattern. The purpose of the study was to answer the following research questions: Does using rhyming poetry intervention have an effect on reading fluency and reading achievement? Does using repeated reading intervention have an effect on reading fluency and reading achievement? How does using rhyming poetry as an intervention compare to using repeated reading as an intervention to teach reading fluency? Preliminary results indicate that there is no difference in the effects of either intervention. Both interventions had a positive effect on reading fluency and reading achievement.