Repeated reading and vocabulary-previewing interventions to improve fluency and comprehension for struggling high-school readers

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. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.