The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the existing reading problems for children in grades five and six. It is important that schools address the reading problems of these children because reading...Show moreThe COVID-19 pandemic worsened the existing reading problems for children in grades five and six. It is important that schools address the reading problems of these children because reading problems can have severe consequences for children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relative effectiveness of two methods for ameliorating the reading difficulties of struggling readers. Two research questions were investigated. The first research question is ‘What are the relative effects of the Universele Interventie voor Lezen and Read-Along reading interventions on the reading performance of struggling readers in grades five and six?’ The second question is: ‘Do the relative effects of the Universele Interventie voor Lezen and Read-Along differ for near transfer texts and far transfer texts?’ The Universele Interventie voor Lezen is based on a combination of different reading instruction methods. The Read-Along is based on the idea that ‘reading more’ sufficient is to ameliorate the reading difficulties of struggling readers. Both interventions were offered during online, individual meetings. This study included 29 participants, whom were struggling readers from grades five and six. The results showed significant effects for time, but not for intervention or intervention by time. Further, the students made more progress on the near transfer text than on the far transfer texts. These results suggest that it may be useful to implement online reading-tutoring interventions like the Universele Interventie voor Lezen and the Read-Along for struggling readers, although due to the lack of a no-tutoring control group, firm conclusions cannot be drawn.Show less
