Project FLORI
FLORI - a project to promote reading fluency development in children
The ability of fluent reading implies accuracy in decoding, automaticity in word recognition, and appropriate use of prosodic features such as stress, pitch, and appropriate text phrasing. Reading fluency is an essential requirement for text comprehension. When basic decoding processes (low in hierarchy) do not proceed accurately and automatically, they tie cognitive resources actually needed for hierarchically higher text comprehension processes. Models of text comprehension in cognitive psychology assume that a higher automation level of hierarchically low processes – e.g. the reliable identification of words and sentences and the production of local coherences – essentially enhances the quality and efficiency of hierarchically higher processes inducing global coherences, i.e. the understanding of texts (Richter & Christmann, 2002; Gold, 2009, 2010; Rosebrock & Nix, 2008). Therefore, one can expect that intervention methods that aim to improve lower order reading processes will also have a positive impact on text comprehension.
Project aims and research questions
The FLORI project focuses on promoting reading fluency development in primary school children and studies the effectiveness of two oral reading instructional routines, both already proven effective as training for reading fluency in secondary school students with reading deficiency (Rosebrock, Rieckmann, Nix & Gold, 2010). Thus it is investigated whether the implementation of oral reading instructional routines in primary school can cope with and prevent emerging reading difficulties.
Two oral reading instructional routines are applied in the project: The fluency development lesson, an approach primarily teacher-centred, and the paired repeated reading method, a variation of peer-assisted learning. It will be investigated whether the two interventions can improve reading fluency and text comprehension.
Research design and study method
Approximately 1000 third graders in primary school participate in the project. As well as classes in both intervention conditions, several control classes without any specific promotion program will be participating. In order to familiarize all participating teachers with the intervention methods a special workshop will be conducted – moreover, elaborated teaching material will be provided.
Both oral reading instructional routines will take place three times a week for 20 minutes respectively during regular lessons between August 2010 and January 2011. Pupils in treatment classes will obtain age appropriate texts as training material.
Standardized diagnostic tests and questionnaires will serve for the evaluation process. All pupils will be tested three times (pre, post and follow-up testing). Regular class observations will take place to ensure implementation certainty.
Project members
Prof. Dr. Andreas Gold
Prof. Dr. Cornelia Rosebrock
Silke Behrendt
Kathrin Buckesfeld
Marie Lauer-Schmaltz
Marthe Simon
Contact
flori@idea-frankfurt.eu
This project is in cooperation with the "Amt für Jugend, Schulen und Sport des Main-Taunus-Kreises" (office for youth, schools and sport of the Main-Taunus district).
