: The authors used an alternating treatments design to compare the effects of a worksheet condition and an iPad condition on math fluency and active academic engagement during a high school math class in an alternative school setting. Following group instruction, the three participants engaged in independent seatwork either by completing problems on a worksheet or completing problems presented on an iPad. Based on visual analyses, students solved more math problems correctly in less time and demonstrated higher levels of active engagement in the iPad condition as compared to the worksheet condition. Social validity assessments indicated that the teacher and three students preferred the iPad condition to the worksheet condition during the math lessons. A discussion on study limitations, implications, and future research directions is included.
In the current study, 42 secondary students (10 th , 11 th , and 12 th grade students) and 51 elementary students (4 th and 5 th grade students) read 400 word passages silently and aloud. During aloud reading, words correct per minute (WCPM) were recorded. After reading each passage, students answered 10 multiple-choice comprehension questions. Results showed comprehension was significantly higher when students read passages aloud, as opposed to silently. No interaction was found between comprehension and grade level (elementary versus secondary). Discussion is focused on theories of reading comprehension and applied implications for assessing comprehension following the administration of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) reading probes.
Using an adapted alternating treatments design, this study compared the effects of two intervention conditions on the reading fluency, comprehension, and comprehension rate of six high-school students reading below grade level. Students were repeatedly exposed to repeated reading (RR), repeated reading and vocabulary previewing (RR + VP), and no intervention control conditions. Dependent variables were assessed at the end of experimental sessions by using practiced passages. Both interventions had positive effects on reading performance as compared to the control condition. Results indicated that the RR + VP condition led to the greatest improvements in reading fluency for all participants. The RR + VP condition led to the highest reading comprehension levels for three participants, and the RR + VP and RR conditions resulted in similar comprehension levels for the other three participants. For five participants, reading comprehension rate was greatest under the RR + VP condition. Discussion focuses on future directions for research on reading interventions for high-school students. C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Disruptions can prevent the classroom from being an effective learning environment. The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a group contingency that has been proven to effectively prevent disruptions and increase engagement. However, the traditional methods of the GBG include teacher scanning for negative student behaviors, and may not align with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which is becoming widely adopted in many schools. Extending the findings of Wright and McCurdy, the current study compared the effects of the GBG and a positive version of the GBG, called the Caught Being Good Game (CBGG), on student behavior, including engagement and off-task behaviors, as well as teachers' use of positive and negative statements. Results showed both the GBG and the CBGG improved student behavior, with data not clearly indicating one was superior. Neither intervention led to an increase in positive teacher statements. Implications for teachers and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Reading comprehension rate (RCR) is a direct measure of reading skills that may be useful in formatively evaluating students reading beyond the fourth-grade level. To investigate the concurrent validity of RCR, we correlated RCR, reading comprehension level (RCL), and words correct per minute (WC/M) with the Broad Reading Cluster Scores of the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III ACH ) across 88 students in 4th, 5th, and 10th grades. Results showed that aloud-RCR was significantly correlated with the WJ-III ACH scores for 4th-grade (r ϭ .90; n ϭ 22), 5th-grade (r ϭ .87; n ϭ 29), and 10th-grade (r ϭ .65; n ϭ 37) students. Regression analysis specified a one-predictor model for 4th-grade students (aloud-RCR), a twopredictor model for 5th-grade students (WC/M and aloud-RCR), and a one-predictor model for 10th-grade students (WC/M). Discussion focuses on directions for future research and applied issues related to RCR probe passage development.
Previous research has investigated the efÞcacy of peer-mediated repeated reading (RR) interventions carried out by student dyads. This research extends the existing research by investigating the impact of RR on oral reading ßuency and comprehension when carried out by a teacher in small groups of fourth-grade students. Outcomes were analyzed using a multiple baseline single case design across groups in addition to supplementary analyses (dual level and trend criteria, percentage of non-overlapping data, class box plots). Visual analysis of results indicated that RR was effective in improving levels of reading ßuency and reading comprehension skills of four targeted students as well as classwide performance in ßuency and comprehension. Acceptability ratings showed that the small group format was easy to implement and acceptable to the teacher and students. Despite positive Þndings, RR may need to be supplemented by other instructional and practice strategies to promote consistent and comprehensive changes beyond ßuency. C 2010
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