Insights into Fluency Instruction: Short- and Long-term Effects of Two Reading Programs

Authors

Paula J. Schwanenflugel, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Georgia.
Melanie R. Kuhn, Department of Learning and Teaching, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey.
Robin D. Morris, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University.
Lesley Mandel Morrow, Department of Learning and Teaching, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey.
Elizabeth B. Meisinger, Department of Psychology, University of Memphis.
Deborah Gee Woo, Department of Literacy Education, New Jersey City University.
Matthew Quirk, Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California-Santa Barbara.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine short- and long-term effects of two instructional approaches designed to improve the reading fluency of second grade children: Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction (or FORI; Stahl & Heubach, 2005) and a wide reading approach (Kuhn et al., 2006). By the end of second grade, children in the wide reading classrooms showed better fluency and self-concept compared to children in control classrooms. Classroom observations indicated children in FORI classrooms were more likely to be off-task than controls. However, by the end of third grade, children in both programs displayed better comprehension. We conclude that extensive and long-term focus on the oral reading of complex texts using practices that scaffold reading in second grade is beneficial for the long-term development of reading comprehension skills.

Publication Title

Literacy research and instruction

Recommended Citation

Schwanenflugel, P. J., Kuhn, M. R., Morris, R. D., Morrow, L. M., Meisinger, E. B., Woo, D. G., & Quirk, M. (2009). Insights into Fluency Instruction: Short- and Long-term Effects of Two Reading Programs. Literacy research and instruction, 48 (4), 318-336. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388070802422415