An Investigation of Student-Selected and Parent-Delivered Reading Interventions

• Published in: Journal of behavioral education Vol. 21; no. 4; pp. 295 - 314
• Main Authors: Daly, Edward J., Kupzyk, Sara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer Science and Business Media, Inc 01.12.2012; Springer US; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Analysis; Behavior Disorders; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Change Agents; Child and School Psychology; Children; College Students; Comparative Analysis; Contingency Management; Curricula; Educational psychology; Elementary School Students; Error Correction; Error rates; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grade 3; Grade 4; Individualized Instruction; Individualized Reading; Intervention; Investigations; Learning and Instruction; Learning disabilities; Oral Reading; Oral reading fluency; Original Paper; Parent participation; Parents; Parents as Teachers; Psychology; Reading comprehension; Reading Difficulties; Reading Fluency; Reading Improvement; Reading Instruction; Reinforcement; Research Design; Selection; Standard deviation; Student Motivation; Tutoring; Parent tutoring; Choice; Reading interventions; Oral reading fluency
• ISSN: 1053-0819; 1573-3513
• DOI: 10.1007/s10864-012-9149-x

In this study, we examined whether individualized, student-selected, parent-delivered reading interventions would produce generalized oral reading fluency improvements. Three 3rd-grade students received reading fluency interventions (repeated readings, modeling, error correction, and flashcard instruction) 1 at a time and were shown the results that each intervention produced. The students then selected the intervention strategies they wanted their parents to use. We trained parents in the student-selected reading intervention package who delivered the interventions for 4-5 weeks, and students were given the opportunity to earn rewards for generalized performance improvements at the end of each week in school. Using an alternating treatments design, results of parent tutoring were compared to a control condition that included a reinforcement contingency for generalized performance improvements to control for reinforcement effects across conditions. Generalized improvements in oral reading fluency (to high-word-overlap passages) were found for all participants. Results are discussed in terms of how educators can improve parent-tutoring outcomes by influencing students' motivation to engage in tutoring procedures.