Improving the Reading Skills of Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities through Repeated and Paired Reading Techniques

Year 2025, Volume: 12 Issue: 1, 287 - 303

Ayfer Şahin , Fatma Cahide Özçelik

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.25.15.12.1

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of fluent reading strategies, specifically "paired reading" and "repeated reading," on the development of reading skills of two students with mild intellectual disability. In the study, two fourth-grade students with mild intellectual disabilities participated in an intervention program aimed at improving their reading skills. Two 4th grade students, one girl and one boy, who attended the support education room as well as the regular classes of the primary school, were included in the intervention programme. The AB single-case design was utilized, as this design is the most commonly used for detecting the effects of. The study employed purposeful sampling to select participants based on specific criteria. The criteria for inclusion in the study were having a mild intellectual disability, attending the support class, and experiencing difficulty in reading and comprehension. The processes lasted for 7 weeks, equating to 35 class hours. Data were collected through instruments such as the Error Analysis Inventory, video recordings, narrative, and informative texts, and reading comprehension achievement tests. The results revealed improvements in students' word definitions, reading speeds, reading skills, and comprehension levels. These results suggest that the study recommends employing paired and repeated reading strategies to enhance the reading and comprehension skills of students facing reading and learning difficulties.

Keywords

Reading, fluent reading, paired reading strategy., repeated reading strategy

References

• Adviento-Rodulfa, C. and Lopez, M. R. S. (2022). Paired reading strategy and comprehension level among grade 10 students. World Journal of English Language, 12(1), 104-104. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n1p104
• Alghafri, A. and Al Hosni, R. (2023). The effect of repeated reading strategy on comprehension among grade four school students. Participatory Educational Research, 10(3), 21-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.23.42.10.3
• Akyol, H. and Ketenoğlu Kayabaşı, Z. E. (2018). Improving the reading skills of students with reading difficulties: An action research. Education and Science, 43(193), 143-158. http://dx.doi.org/10.15390/EB.2018.7240
• Akyol, H. (2013). Türkçe öğretim yöntemleri [The Turkish language teaching methods.]. Pegem A Yayıncılık.
• Akyol, H. (2019). Türkçe ilkokuma yazma öğretim [Turkish primary reading and writing teaching]. Pegem A Yayıncılık.
• Akyol, H., and Sural, Ü. Ç. (2020). Developing reading, reading comprehension and motivation: An action research study. Education and Science, 46(205), 69-92.
• Anggeraini, Y., Nurhasanah, and Madenta, T. (2020). EFL learners` reading habit and their reading comprehension enhancement through partner reading. Getsempena English Education Journal, 7(2), 294–306. https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v7i2.985
• Begeny, J.C., and Silber, J.M. (2006). An examination of group-based treatment packages for increasing elementary-aged students' reading fluency. Psychology in the Schools, 43(2), 183-915. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20138
• Benner, G. J. (2007). The relative ımpact of remedial reading ınstruction on the basic reading skills of students with emotional disturbance and learning disabilities, Journal of Direct Instruction, 7(1), 1-15.
• Berkeley, S., Mastropieri, M. A., and Scruggs, T. E. (2011). Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction and Attribution Retraining for Secondary Students With Learning and Other Mild Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(1), 18-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219410371677
• Biemiller, A. and Siegel, L.S. (1997). Longitudinal study of the effects of the “bridge” reading program for children at risk for reading failure. Learning Disability Quarterly, 20, 83-92. https://doi.org/10.2307/1511216
• Blum, I.H. and Koskinen, P.S. (1991). Repeated reading: A strategy for enhancing fluency and fustering expertise. Theory into Practise, 30 (3), 195-200.
• Breznitz, Z. (1997). Enhancing the reading of dyslexic children by reading acceleration and auditory masking. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(1), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.89.1.103
• Calet, N., Pérez-Morenilla, M. C., and Santos-Roig, M. D. l. (2019). Overcoming reading comprehension difficulties through a prosodic reading intervention: A single-case study. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 35(1), 75-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659019826252
• Chang, A. (2012). Improving reading rate activities for EFL students: Improving reading rate activities for EFL students: Timed reading and repeated oral reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 24(1), 56–83.
• Chard, D. J., Vaughn, S. and Tyler, B. (2002). A synthesis of research on effective interventions for building reading fluency with elementary students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35, 386–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194020350050101
• Conderman, G., and Strobel, D. (2008). Fluency flyers club: An oral reading fluency intervention program. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 53(1), 15-20.
• Coyne, M. D., Kame’enui, E. J. and Simmons, D. C. (2001). Prevention and intervention in beginning reading: Two complex systems. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 16 (2), 62-73. https://doi.org/10.1111/0938-8982.00008
• Coşkun, İ., and Erdin, G. (2014). Hafif düzeyde zihinsel yetersizliği olan kaynaştırma öğrencilerinin dinlediğini anlama becerilerinin incelenmesi [Investıgatıon of lıstenıng comprehensıon skılls of maınstreamıng students wıth mıld mental retardatıon.]. Akademik Bakış Uluslararası Hakemli Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi[Academic Sight International Refereed Online Journal], (41), 1-18.
• Çayır, A., and Ulusoy, M. (2014). Akıcılığı geliştirme programının ilkokul ikinci sınıf öğrencilerinin okuma ve anlama becerileri üzerindeki etkisi [The effects of fluency development program on the second graders’ reading and comprehension skills.]. Cumhuriyet Uluslararası Eğitim Dergisi[Cumhuriyet International Journal of Education], 3(2), 26-43.
• Çetinkaya, F. Ç., Öksüz, H. İ. and Öztürk, M. (2018). Etkileşimli okuma ve kelime hazinesi [Dıalogıc readıng and vocabulary.]. Journal Of International Social Research, 11(60), 705-715.
• Deeney, T. A. (2010). One-minute fluency measures: Mixed messages in assessment and Instruction. The Reading Teacher, 63, 440-450. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.63.6.1
• Di Blasi, F. D., Buono, S., Cantagallo, C., Di Filippo, G. and Zoccolotti, P. (2019). Reading skills in children with mild to borderline intellectual disability: A cross‐sectional study on second to eighth graders. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 63(8), 1023-1040. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12620
• Dionne, M., and Martini, R. (2011). Floor time play with a child with autism: A single-subject study. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78(3), 196-203.
• Dufva, M., Niemi, P., and Voaten, M. J. M., (2001). The role of phonological memory, word recognition, and comprehension skills in reading development: From preschool to grade 2. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 14, 91-117.
• Duke, N. K., and Pearson, P. D. (2002). Effective practices for developing reading comprehension. In A. E. Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds.), What research has to say about reading instruction (3rd ed., pp. 205-242). International Reading Association.
• Dündar, H., and Akyol, H. (2014). A case study regarding definition and solution of reading and comprehensive problems. Education and Science, 39(171), 361-377.
• Eckert, T. L., Dunn, E. K., and Ardoin, S. P. (2006). The effects of alternate forms of performance feedback on elementary-aged students’ oral reading fluency. Journal of Behavioral Education, 15, 148-161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-006-9018-6
• Ekwall, E. E., and Shanker, J. L. (1988). Diagnosis and remediation of the disabled reader (3rd ed.). Allyn and Bacon, Inc.
• Elhoweris, H. (2017). The ımpact of repeated reading ıntervention on ımproving reading fluency and comprehension of Emirati students with learning disabilities. International Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences, 6(2), 36-48.
• Faver, S. (2009). Repeated reading of poetry can enhance reading fluency. The Reading Teacher, 62, 350-352. http://dx.doi.org/10.1598/RT.62.4.8
• Golke, S., Hagen, R., and Wittwer, J. (2019). Lost in narrative? The effect of informative narratives on text comprehension and metacomprehension accuracy. Learning and Instruction, 60, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2018.11.003
• Georgiou, G., Inoue, T., and Parrila, R. (2023). Are vocabulary and word reading reciprocally related? Scientific Studies of Reading, 27 (2), 160-168. DOI: 10.1080/10888438.2022.2123275
• Gorsuch, G., and Taguchi, E. (2008). Repeated reading for developing reading fluency and reading comprehension: The case of EFL learners in Vietnam. System, 36(2), 253-278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2007.09.009
• Gorsuch, G., and Taguchi, E. (2010). Developing reading fluency and comprehension using repeated reading: Evidence from longitudinal student reports. Language Teaching Research, 14(1), 27-59. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168809346494
• Güneş, F. (2009). Hızlı okuma ve anlamı yapılandırma [Speed reading and structuring meaning]. Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
• Herberg, J., McLoughlin, T. F., Derby, K. M., and Weber, K. P. (2012). The effects of repeated readings and flashcard error drill the reading accuracy and fluency with rural middle school student with learning disabilities. Academic Research International, 2(3), 388-393.
• Hulme, C., and Snowling, M. J. (2011). Children's reading comprehension difficulties: Nature, causes, and treatments. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(3), 139-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411408673
• Hudson, R. F., Lane, H. B., and Pullen, P. C. (2005). Reading fluency assessment and instruction: What, why, and how?.The Reading Teacher, 58, 702-714. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20204298
• Kardaş-İşler, N., and Şahin, A. E. (2016). Bir ilkokul 4. sınıf öğrencisinin okuma bozukluğu ve anlama güçlüğü: bir durum çalışması [Reading disability and comprehension difficulty of a 4th grade student: a case study.]. Ana Dili Eğitimi Dergisi[Journal of Mother Tongue Education], 4(2), 174-186. https://doi.org/10.16916/aded.23121
• Kaya-Özgül, B., and Ateş, S. (2023). Sınıf öğretmeni adaylarının okuma ve yazma güçlüklerini belirleme düzeylerinin incelenmesi [Investigation of ıdentifying levels of reading and writing difficulties of pre-service primary school teachers.]. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi[Ahi Evran University Institute of Social Sciences Journal], 9(1), 20-39. https://doi.org/10.31592/aeusbed.1218927
• Kodan, H., and Bozdemir, H. (2016). İlköğretim 4. sınıf öğrencilerinin dinlediklerini anlama düzeyinin belirlenmesi [Defining the degree of listening comprehension of 4th grade students of primary education.]. Mehmet Akif Ersoy Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi[Journal of Faculty of Education], 1(37), 15-27.
• Kuhn, M. R., Schwanenflugel, P. J., Meisinger, E. B., and Levy, B. A., & Rasinski, T. V. (Eds.). (2010). Aligning theory and assessment of reading fluency: Automaticity, prosody, and definitions of fluency. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), 230–251. https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.45.2.4
• Kuhn, M. R., and Stahl, S. A. (2003). Fluency: A review of developmental and remedial practices. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.3
• Laberge, D., and Samuels J. S. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic ınformation processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology, 6(2), 293-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(74)90015-2
• Lee, J., and Yoon, S. Y. (2017). The effects of repeated reading on reading fluency for students with reading disabilities: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 213-224. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219415605194
• Mastropieri, M. A., Scruggs, T., Mohler, L., Beranek, M., Spencer, V., Boon, R. T., and Talbott, E. (2001). Can middle school students with serious reading difficulties help each other and learn anything?. Learning disabilities research and Practice, 16(1), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/0938-8982.00003
• Ministry of National Education. (2018). Regulation on special education services. https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=24736andMevzuatTur=7andMevzuatTertip=5
• Monster, I., Tellings, A., Burk, W. J., Keuning, J., Segers E., and Verhoeven, L. (2022). Word properties predicting children’s word recognition. Scientific Studies of Reading, 26(5), 373-389, DOI: 10.1080/10888438.2021.2020795
• O’Connor, R. E., White, A., and Swanson H. L. (2007). Repeated reading versus continuous reading: influences on reading fluency and comprehension. Exceptional Children, 74, 31-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290707400102
• Pearson, P. D., and Cervetti, G. N. (2015). Fifty years of reading comprehension theory and practice. Research-based practices for teaching Common Core literacy, 1-24.
• Pikulski, J., and Chard, D. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. The reading Teacher, 58, 510-519. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20205516
• Rasinski, T. V. (2003). The fluent reader: Oral reading strategies for building word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. Scholastic.
• Rasinski, T. V. (2004). Creating fluent readers. Educational Leadership, 61, 46-51. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289978010_Creating_Fluent_Readers
• Rasinski, T. V., Padak, N., Linek, W., and Sturtevant, E. (1994). Effects of fluency development on urban second-grade readers. Journal of Educational Research. 87, 158-165.
• Rasinski, T. V. (2012). Why reading fluency should be hot! The Reading Teacher, 65(8), 516–522.
• Riley-Tillman, T. C., and Burns, M. (2009). Evaluating educational interventions single-case design for measuring response to intervention. The Guilford Press.
• Samuels, S. J. (1997). The method of repeated readings. The Reading Teacher, 50 (5), 376-381.
• Sarroub, L., and Pearson, P. D. (1998). Two steps forward, three steps back: The stormy history of reading comprehension assessment. The Clearing House, 72(2), 97-105. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/188045216.pdf
• Shelton, A., Wexler, J., Silverman, R. D., and Stapleton, L. M. (2019). A Synthesis of Reading Comprehension Interventions for Persons With Mild Intellectual Disability. Review of Educational Research, 89(4), 612-651. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319857041
• Snow, C. E. (2002). Reading for understanding: Toward an R&D program in reading comprehension. RAND Corporation.
• Şahin, A. (2011). Farklı yöntemlerle okuma-yazma öğrenmiş beşinci sınıf öğrencilerinin okuduğunu anlama erişileriyle okuma hızlarının karşılaştırılması [Comparing reading comprehension level and oral reading speed of 5th class students who had first reading writing through different methods.]. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi[Hacettepe University Journal of Education], 41(41), 423-433.
• Şahin, A. (2013). The effect of text types on reading comprehension. Online Submission, 3(2), 57-67.
• Şahin, A., and Bozdağ, T. (2020). İlkokullarda okuma güçlüğünde kullanılan eğitsel uygulamalara ilişkin öğretmen algılarının incelenmesi [251Investigation of teachers’ perceptions about educational practices used in reading difficulties in primary schools]. Anadolu Kültürel Araştırmalar Dergisi[Journal of Anatolian Cultural Research], 4(3), 250-263.
• Therrien, W. J. (2004). Fluency and comprehension gains as a result of repeated reading: A meta-analysis. Remedial and Special Education, 25,252–261.
• Therrien, W. J., and Kubina, R. M. (2006). Developing reading fluency with repeated reading. Intervention in School and Clinic, 41, 156-160.
• Torgesen, J. (2000). Individual differences in response to early interventions in reading: The lingering problem of treatment resisters. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 15(1), 55–64.
• Torgesen, J. K., and Hudson, R. F. (2006). Reading fluency: Critical issues for struggling readers. What research has to say about fluency instruction, 130-158.
• Uğur, S., and Tavşanlı, Ö. F. (2022). Öğretmen rolüyle etkileşimli okuma uygulamalarının dördüncü sınıf öğrencilerinin okuduğunu anlama başarısına etkisi [The effects of ınteractive reading practices with the role of the teacher on 4th grade students’ reading comprehension success.]. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi[The Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences], 20(2), 655-678.
• Valenzuela, V. V., Gutierrez, G., and Lambros, K. M. (2014, September). Response to Intervention: Using single-case design to examine the impact of tier 2 mathematics interventions. In School Psychology Forum (Vol. 8, No. 3).
• Vaughn, S., and Thompson, S. L. (2004). Research-based methods of reading instruction: Association for supervision and curriculum development. Alexandria.
• Yılmaz, M. (2008). Kelime tekrar tekniğinin akıcı okuma becerilerini geliştirmeye etkisi [The effect of word drıll technıque on ımprovıng fluently readıng of skılls.]. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi[The Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences], 6(2), 323-350.
• Yurtbakan, E., and Erdoğan, T. (2023). Öğretmen ve ebeveyn rehberliğinde yapılan etkileşimli okuma uygulamalarının ilkokul öğrencilerinin okuduğunu anlama becerilerine etkisi [The effect of dialogic reading practices under the guidance of teachers and parents on primary school students' reading comprehension skills.]. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Eğitim Dergisi[Kocaeli University Journal of Education], 6(2), 467-493.
• Wakeman, S. Y., Pennington, R., Cerrato, B., Saunders, A., and Ahlgrim‐Delzell, L. (2021). Parent perceptions regarding literacy instruction for students with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 65(1), 86-98. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12795
• Winn, B. D., Skinner H. C., Oliver, R., Hale, A. D., and Ziegler, M. (2006). The effects of listening while reading and repeated reading on the reading fluency of adult learners. Journal of AdolescentandAdult Litercy, 50(3), 196-205.
• Wixson, K. K. (2017). An interactive view of reading comprehension: Implications for assessment. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 48(2), 77-83. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_LSHSS-16-0030