USING EXPLICIT FLUENCY TRAINING TO IMPROVE THE READING COMPREHENSION OF SECOND GRADE CHINESE IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF EXPLICIT FLUENCY TRAINING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION OF FOUR 2ND GRADE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELLS). THE STUDY CONSISTED OF TWO EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS: GROUP INSTRUCTION (GI) AND GROUP INSTRUCTION WITH FLUENCY READING TRIALS (GI&FRT). GI CONSISTED OF SMALL GROUP READING INSTRUCTION INVOLVING VOCABULARY DISCUSSIONS, ROUND ROBIN READING, SILENT READING, AND ORAL READING. THE SAME PROCEDURES WERE USED DURING THE GI&FRT, EXCEPT THAT INSTEAD OF BEING ASKED TO READ THE PASSAGE THREE TIMES SILENTLY PRIOR TO READING ORALLY, STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO READ THE PASSAGE ALOUD THREE TIMES AS QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY AS THEY COULD PRIOR TO THE ORAL READING ASSESSMENT. THE RESULTS SHOWED A STEADY INCREASE IN ORAL READING FLUENCY UNDER BOTH EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN COMPREHENSION DURING EXPLICIT FLUENCY TRAINING (GI&FRT) CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL FOUR STUDENTS.