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A Comparison of Comprehension Accuracy and Rate: Repeated Readings and Listening While Reading in Second-Grade Students

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Abstract

Researchers have evaluated the effects of repeated reading and listening-while-reading interventions on oral reading fluency and comprehension, and have compared the effects of these two interventions on indirect measures of comprehension. The current study was designed to extend this research by evaluating and comparing the effects of these two interventions using direct measures of reading comprehension and reading comprehension rates, or the amount of passage comprehended per time spent reading. To determine if an interaction exists between passage difficulty and intervention condition, students read two passages for each condition, one easier and one harder passage. Results revealed main effects on comprehension rate, but not on comprehension accuracy. These findings suggest that neither intervention enhanced comprehension, but listening while reading enhanced comprehension rates on both easier and harder passages, indicating that it may be a significantly more efficient procedure for enhancing comprehension. Implications for measurement, academic accommodations, class-wide instruction, and future research are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Megan Blonder, Christopher H. Skinner, Dennis Ciancio, Samantha Cazzell, Katie Scott, Carrie Jaquett, Jonah Ruddy & Kelly Thompson

Authors
  1. Megan Blonder
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  2. Christopher H. Skinner
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  3. Dennis Ciancio
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  4. Samantha Cazzell
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  5. Katie Scott
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  6. Carrie Jaquett
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  7. Jonah Ruddy
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  8. Kelly Thompson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher H. Skinner.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

Appendix

Appendix

Instructions

Control

  1. 1.

    When I say ‘begin,’ start reading this passage aloud. Read across the page. Try to read each word. If you come to a word you do not know I’ll tell it to you. Be sure to do your best reading. After you finish you will answer questions on what you just read. Do you have any questions? Begin.

  2. 2.

    Start the stopwatch when they begin reading.

  3. 3.

    Record errors as the student reads the passage. When they finish, record the total seconds it took them to read the entire passage.

  4. 4.

    Administer comprehension questions for the passage.

Repeated Reading

  1. 1.

    When I say ‘begin,’ start reading this passage aloud. Read across the page. Try to read each word. If you come to a word you do not know I’ll tell it to you. Be sure to do your best reading. When you finish you are going to read this passage one more time and answer questions on what you just read. Do you have any questions? Begin.

  2. 2.

    Start the stopwatch when they begin reading.

  3. 3.

    Record errors as the student reads the passage. When they finish, stop the stopwatch and record the total seconds it took them to read the entire passage.

  4. 4.

    Prompt students to read the passage a second time. Repeat steps 2 and 3.

  5. 5.

    Administer comprehension questions for the passage.

Listening While Reading

  1. 1.

    I am going to read this passage aloud. Follow along with your finger. Be sure to pay attention because when I am finished you will answer questions. Do you have any questions?

  2. 2.

    Start the stopwatch before you begin reading. When you finish, record the total seconds it took you to read the entire passage.

  3. 3.

    Administer comprehension questions for the passage.

Procedural Integrity Checklist

  1. 1.

    Complete demographic page. Match the student’s name with the appropriate ID from the list.

  2. 2.

    Hand student the appropriate passage according to the order of your packet.

  3. 3.

    Read the instructions corresponding to the sticker color on your packet.

  4. 4.

    Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the first 3 stories in your packet on day 1.

  5. 5.

    Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the last 3 stories in your packet on day 2.

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Blonder, M., Skinner, C.H., Ciancio, D. et al. A Comparison of Comprehension Accuracy and Rate: Repeated Readings and Listening While Reading in Second-Grade Students. Contemp School Psychol 23, 231–244 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0169-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0169-3

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