Abstract:
Fluency is reading written texts accurately with an appropriate speed and a proper
expression which leads to comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading. Developing this
skill in reading as a stepping stone to facilitate generating meaning from a print urges
researchers and educators to look for the appropriate fluency instructions that foster this
reading talent. This research seeks to investigate the effect of two instructional approaches
on developing students’ reading fluency and comprehension: the Fluency Oriented
Reading Instruction and the Repeated Reading. In particular, the study aims at a)
measuring the improvement in the different components of reading fluency (automaticity,
word recognition accuracy, prosody, and comprehension) and b) finding out the most
effective approach in enhancing reading fluency sub-skills. A quasi-experimental study,
involving a pretest and posttest was conducted on second year students at the department
of English in the Teacher Training School of Constantine. The results revealed a
correlation between reading fluency and comprehension, and t tests confirmed the
statistical significance of change in the means scores of reading fluency components within
the experimental groups and the control group. Both the Fluency Oriented Reading
Instruction and the Repeated Reading proved practical approaches for developing students’
reading fluency and comprehension. Hence, the three research hypotheses were confirmed.
However, in terms of efficiency, the statistical analysis certified that the Fluency Oriented
Reading Approach effects mainly at the levels of prosody, accuracy and comprehension
was more profound than that of the Repeated Reading one. In addition, the questionnaires
and interviews administered to the focus group demonstrated that the regular use of
Fluency Oriented Reading Instruction not only enhances students’ fluency in reading but it
enables them to experience growth in other skills as well.
