Studying the Effects of Increased Volume of On-level, Self-selected Reading on Ninth Graders' Fluency, Comprehension, and Motivation

Abstract

In response to the literacy achievement gap that exists between high-poverty, high-minority school districts and their counterparts, a quasi-experimental multi-measure study was designed to increase the reading skills and attitudes of ninth grade students. The goal of this study was to increase the volume of on-level, self-selected reading with the expectations of positively impacting the students' fluency, comprehension, and motivation. Two teachers participated in the study, each teacher taught both a control and a treatment group. The treatment consisted of twenty minutes of daily increased volume of on-level, self-selected reading. The students also kept daily response logs. The results did not support the expectations. At the end of the sixteen-week study, the data showed that the treatment was not effective in increasing the fluency, comprehension, and motivation of ninth grade students. Other studies should be done that address the time factor in this study.