Text to Memory: A Study on Comprehension and Oral Reading Fluency

Research was conducted to test the hypothesis that there is a reciprocal relationship between reading comprehension and oral reading fluency. Previous research indicates that oral reading fluency can aid reading comprehension. However, more recent models have questioned the uni-directionality of this relationship. This research examines this hypothesis by analyzing second grade students' oral reading of connected texts. A summary previewing condition was manipulated in an experiment and the effects on students 'passage reading times were evaluated. Grade level students were randomly assigned to one of two groups, an experimental group and a control group. Analyses of Covariance were performed to test the effects of prosodic modeling on oral reading fluency as measured in correct words per minute (CWPM) and prosodic reading, while controlling for students overall achievement in reading as measured by the common state test score. The results showed differences in CWPM indicating the summary preview over the no-preview condition for students at lower levels of fluency performance.