Improving Reading Achievements of Struggling Readers

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Improving Reading Achievements of Struggling
Readers

• Thoni Houtveen
• Utrecht University of Applied Sciences
• The Netherlands
• Wim van de Grift
• Groningen University
• The Netherlands

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At the end of primary education

• About 10 of the Dutch students lag behind for 3
  years in decoding

These students are not able to read books
especially made for their age and will have
problems in their future school career
Sijtsma, Van der Schoot Hemker, 2002
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Most problems with decoding start already in the
early years of schooling

• About 10 of the 6-year-olds is not able to read
  more than 18 one syllable words in one minute
  time without mistakes
• Most of their peers in the classroom can read
  already twice as many words in a minute and are
  going to start with reading comprehension

Houtveen Van de Grift, 2001 2007
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• Is it possible to improve the achievements of
  struggling readers with convergent
  differentiation?
• Which means Whole class teaching with
• Extending reading time
• Setting minimum targets for reading
• Direct instruction
• Intensifying instruction by high interaction
  activities
• Giving extra instruction time for struggling
  learners
• Extra instruction for struggling readers?

Allington Walmsley, 1995 Slavin, 1996 Haager,
Klingner, Vaugh, 2007
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• Experiment
• Experimental group
• 567 6/7-year-old students in 21 schools
• Control group
• 454 6/7-year-old students in 16 schools

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• Treatment
• One extra hour a week for reading
• Setting minimum targets for reading
• Direct instruction
• High interaction activities
• Testing and diagnosing reading problems
• Adapting instruction to different needs
• Extra instruction time for struggling readers
• Pre-teaching and re-teaching struggling readers
• Implementing prescribed learning plans for
  struggling readers

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Conclusions (1)

• We started the experiment with an experimental
  group with double the amount of struggling
  readers as the control group
• We ended the experiment after 6 months with an
  experimental group with half the amount of
  struggling readers as the control group
• One year later still a modest experimental effect
  was found

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Conclusions (2)

• Decoding results can be improved by
• Extending time for reading
• Setting minimum targets for reading
• Giving direct instruction
• Intensifying instruction by high interaction
  activities
• Testing and diagnosing reading problems
• Giving extra instruction time for struggling
  learners
• Giving extra instruction for struggling readers

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More information?

• thoni.houtveen_at_hu.nl
• 00 31 6 30 62 99 95
• W.J.C.M.van.de.Grift_at_rug.nl
• 00 31 6 22 25 29 51