This study examined the effectiveness of a computer-assisted reading program, Read Naturally (RN), on the oral reading fluency (ORF), comprehension, and generalization of second graders who were at risk for reading failure. Six students received the intervention (RN) three to four times a week for approximately 7 to 12 weeks. All six students were trained to use the RN program, and were able to advance through the sequence of instructional activities with little to no assistance. The instructional sequence included: key words, cold timing, read along, practice reading, a comprehension quiz, pass timing, and word retell.
A multiple-baseline across participants design with embedded changing criterion tactics was used in this study. This design allowed the experimenter to note the effects of increasing the goal criterion (in correct words per minute [CWPM]) on the participants’ ORF. The experimenter increased each participant’s goal (CWPM) based on individual performance. Tiers one and two had six criterion changes over the course of the study, and tier three had five criterion changes. The dependent variables included: CWPM and incorrect words per minute (IWPM) on RN passages and two measures of generalization (AIMSweb and Direct Instruction [DI]); as well as the number of words re-told in a minute and the number of comprehension questions answered correctly on all three types of stories (i.e., RN, AIMSweb, and DI). Pre- and post-test measures were given to determine the effects of the RN intervention on each participant’s overall reading ability.
Results revealed that the RN program was effective at increasing the ORF of all six participants on the RN treatment stories and AIMSweb generalization stories. Five of the six participants increased their ORF on the DI generalization stories over baseline. The two measures of comprehension revealed mixed results. Only half of the participants showed increased performance on the percentage of comprehension questions answered correctly, but all six participants increased the number of words re-told per minute from baseline to intervention on all three types of stories. These results support the use of computer-assisted reading instruction and repeated reading activities. This study extends current research as each participant’s ORF treatment goal was increased based on individual performance and shown to have a positive effect on their ORF on the generalization measures. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.