Components of effective early reading interventions for young struggling readers

Abstract

Although the importance of intervening to assist young struggling readers is widely accepted and many interventions have been developed to meet this need, research has not yet established that there is an effective and low-cost option for schools. Reviews of research into beginning reading provide guidance about what needs to be included in an intervention for young struggling readers but there is less available information about how to organise and implement an intervention. Recent research into the variables influencing interventions that have been used with young students provides some useful information that can be used to adapt existing programs or design and develop new ones. Ten desirable features of interventions suitable for young students who are beginning to struggle in reading after a year of schooling are identified.

A randomised control trial of a Tier-2 small-group intervention (‘MiniLit’) for young struggling readers1

“…In line with the recommendations of the Australian (Department of Education, Science, and Training, 2005), US (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000) and UK reports (Rose, 2006) on the teaching of reading, it is highly planned, systematic and sequential (Reynolds et al, 2010b). MiniLit fills a gap in literacy provision by extending supplementary instruction to a larger group of children at lower cost than one-to-one interventions and, as part of a high quality RtI model, may reduce the need for Tier-3 interventions (Reynolds et al, 2007a).…”

The Understanding Words Reading Intervention: Evidence From a Case Series Design

“…Reading intervention methods described in the literature differ but it is generally thought that students with reading difficulties will require instruction that targets one or more of the following: phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, spelling, teaching of high-frequency irregular words, and vocabulary and comprehension strategies (e.g., Berninger et al, 2003;Bowey, 2006;Castles & Coltheart, 2004;Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHHD], 2000;Reynolds, Wheldall, & Madelaine, 2010;Torgerson, Brooks, & Hall, 2006;Torgesen et al, 2010). Instruction should also be 'explicit' , referring to the teacher's clear and direct presentation of the instructional content, and 'systematic' (Reynolds et al, 2010).…”

“…Instruction should also be 'explicit' , referring to the teacher's clear and direct presentation of the instructional content, and 'systematic' (Reynolds et al, 2010). The term systematic refers to a method in which instructional materials (e.g., high-frequency grapheme-phoneme conversion rules) are taught in a clearly defined sequence (Ehri, 2003;Reynolds et al, 2010).…”

“…Instruction should also be 'explicit' , referring to the teacher's clear and direct presentation of the instructional content, and 'systematic' (Reynolds et al, 2010). The term systematic refers to a method in which instructional materials (e.g., high-frequency grapheme-phoneme conversion rules) are taught in a clearly defined sequence (Ehri, 2003;Reynolds et al, 2010). Instruction should preferably be cumulative in that new material should be introduced only after students have mastered current and previously taught skills and knowledge (Carnine, 1976).…”

“…However, the difference was small and the cost-effectiveness of paraprofessionals makes that type of intervention a viable option for schools (Rose, 2006;Slavin et al, 2009). It is important to note that if paraprofessionals are to be effective they must use a systematic reading program and be skilled in the delivery of that program (Reynolds et al, 2010), as untrained tutors who receive little guidance and no specific instructional materials can produce negative outcomes for students (Slavin et al, 2009).…”