Study Results

The goal of this study was to determine if the Reading Focus Cards significantly impacted reading fluency, comprehension and decoding skills for students with disabilities. The data gathered and recorded from this study indicated that:

• The goal of this study was to determine if the Reading Focus Cards (U.S. Patent 7,565,759) significantly impacted reading fluency, comprehension and decoding skills for students with disabilities. The data gathered and recorded from this study indicated that:
• Participants increased their comprehension level by twenty-nine hundredths (.29). This data indicated that the learning goal was met by two subjects; the other seven participants did not meet the learning goal.
• An increase in decoding skills (by one grade level) was measured by the San Diego Quick Informal Reading Assessment (Scholastic, 2002). All subjects from both the control and the experimental groups advanced at least one grade level as assessed by this same measurement tool.
• The researcher concluded that the third learning goal was not appropriately established initially.
• Though not all students showed a significant increase, multiple subjects did show a significant increase in all three skill areas.
• The data also indicated that fluency was the area in which participants showed a significant gain. Although all the learning goals were not met by the entire group of participants, several participants met and exceeded the learning goals.
• All participants, except one, chose to continue the use of the Reading Focus Cards in the reading class after the conclusion of the study.
• The participants had positive reactions to the Reading Focus Cards, and many participants commented on how easy it was to keep their place while reading.
• In addition, during passage reading, the researcher did notice a decrease in students asking, “Where are we?”That led the researcher to conclude that participants were more likely to follow the reading while others were reading aloud. This would further increase the comprehension of the passage as well as increase student engagement.
• At the conclusion of the research period, several students requested to use their Reading Focus Cards in other classes as well. The researcher did notice that the participants who had the most gain, exhibited intrinsic motivation to learn and were constantly trying to improve their reading. The participants who did not make such gains, typically had a higher absentee rate, lower grades, and did not display intrinsic motivation to learn.

For the full text of the study by A. Godwin, click here.