Fluency oriented reading instruction and repeated reading effects in enhancing reading fluency and comprehension

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.