Repeated Reading and Fifth Graders’ Reading Fluency
Sue Sergeant
July 2002
Fifth grade students reading below grade level are at risk for failure in school. It is
imperative to intervene before they move from elementary to middle school. When
readers spend too much energy on decoding, there is little energy left for comprehension.
This study examined the effect of a repeated reading strategy designed for fifth-grade
students on reading fluency. A paired subject design with a pre and post test was chosen
to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on students’ reading speed and
accuracy. Student pairs read one hundred word selections and used a tape recorder,
stopwatch, and charts to self-monitor each repeated reading. The results suggest that
after three months all students participating in the study made significant growth in
reading fluency. Repeated reading is a viable strategy to incorporate in an intermediate
reading program.