Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Reading Intervention for Struggling Readers in Grades 4 and 5

This study investigated the effects of a short, intensive, multicomponent reading intervention (UIL) on fluency and comprehension performance for struggling readers in grades 4 and 5, and compared it to an active reading aloud condition (RA) and to a business as usual classroom instruction (BAU). Ninety-four struggling readers were randomly assigned to each condition. Students in the UIL and RA condition received an online tutoring intervention that included 8 sessions over a period of 4 weeks. Reading performance was measured at pretest and posttest with oral reading fluency and text comprehension measures. For fluency, there was a significant time by condition interaction. Students in the UIL showed stronger gains than students in the BAU, indicating that the UIL provided added value over regular instruction. UIL and RA and RA and BAU did not differ reliably. For comprehension, all groups showed small improvements, with no reliable differences between conditions. Within UIL, no...Show moreThis study investigated the effects of a short, intensive, multicomponent reading intervention (UIL) on fluency and comprehension performance for struggling readers in grades 4 and 5, and compared it to an active reading aloud condition (RA) and to a business as usual classroom instruction (BAU). Ninety-four struggling readers were randomly assigned to each condition. Students in the UIL and RA condition received an online tutoring intervention that included 8 sessions over a period of 4 weeks. Reading performance was measured at pretest and posttest with oral reading fluency and text comprehension measures. For fluency, there was a significant time by condition interaction. Students in the UIL showed stronger gains than students in the BAU, indicating that the UIL provided added value over regular instruction. UIL and RA and RA and BAU did not differ reliably. For comprehension, all groups showed small improvements, with no reliable differences between conditions. Within UIL, no significant association was found between fluency gains and comprehension gains. Future research should examine how elements in multicomponent interventions that are designed to be feasible across a broad range of struggling readers affect their outcomes.Show less

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Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Reading Intervention for Struggling Readers in Grades 4 and 5