Comparison of Repeated and Non-Repeated Readings on the Reading Performances of Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

This study used an alternating treatments design to compare the effects of three conditions on the reading fluency, errors, and comprehension of four, sixth-grade students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) who were struggling readers. The conditions were (a) repeated readings in which participants read three times a passage of 100 or 150 words, (b) non-repeated readings in which participants sequentially read a passage of 100 or 150 words once, and (c) equivalent non-repeated readings in which participants sequentially read a passage of 300 or 450 words, equivalent to the number of words in the repeated readings condition. Also examined were the effects of the three repeated reading practice trials per sessions on reading fluency and errors. Overall, the results showed that with repeated readings, participants had the best outcomes in reading fluency, errors per minute, and correct answers to literal comprehension questions. Under an enhanced phase (i.e., increased reading levels and/or passage length), the positive effects during repeated readings were more demonstrative. During repeated readings, from Practice Trial 1 through Practice Trial 3, all participants improved their reading fluency and reduced their reading errors.