The effects of frequent testing on motivation to read in children aged 7 to 9 years old at risk of reading failure: A quasi-experimental study
Further reading
Abstract
This thesis examines the effects of frequent testing (through the use of Precision Teaching and its variants) on reading skills and motivation to read for children aged 7 to 9 years old.
The literature review explores the effectiveness of Precision Teaching for improving reading skills in children with reading difficulties within the school setting. 12 studies were identified and assessed using Gough’s (2007) weight of evidence framework. Gersten et al.’s (2005) coding protocol was used for quasi-experimental designs and Horner et al.’s (2005) coding protocol for single-case designs. The review concludes that Precision Teaching is effective for improving reading difficulties and is ecologically valid. Effect sizes were calculated for 6 papers which generated a large effect ranging from d = 1.56 to 4.02. Implications and recommendations for future practice are highlighted.
The empirical paper explores whether frequent testing (through the use of a 10-week online Precision Teaching programme) would lead to an improvement in children’s reading skills and therefore improve their motivation to read. It also explores whether a higher frequency of testing will lead to a bigger improvement in motivation to read compared to a lower frequency of testing. A quasi-experimental design was used. 36 participants aged 7 to 9 years old were recruited from 8 mainstream schools. An ANOVA and t-tests were used to analyse the data. Results revealed that frequent testing had significantly improved children’s reading skills. Improvement in reading skills did not lead to any significant increase in reading motivation. A higher frequency of testing also did not lead to improvements in reading motivation. Implications and recommendations for future practice are highlighted.
Chapter 4 discusses how this thesis contributes to evidence-based practice, its impact on relevant stakeholders and the dissemination of results to various audiences.
