Ask Freddy

Ask Freddy Posted 02/26/2008 Permanent Link

Silent Reading and Fluency

Yes, the National Reading Panel (NRP) did report that guided repeated oral reading of texts led to improved reading fluency. With respect to silent reading, the NRP examined studies of a specific kind of silent reading: sustained silent reading (SSR). SSR has a long history and a particular form (Hunt, 1965). In SSR, students read independently from self-selected books for a specified period of time during which the teacher reads as well. There is no reporting or monitoring of students’ reading. The Panel was unable to find evidence that SSR improves fluent reading. It is important to note that the Panel did not find that SSR detracts from proficient reading. Even so, this conclusion of the NRP has spurred lots of discussion and debate.

This conclusion has also been misinterpreted to mean that students should not read silently. However, the NRP did not review any research on repeated silent reading of text or even silent reading a single time of multiple texts. Because of the controversy surrounding the NRP’s conclusions on SSR, several studies have been conducted on scaffolded silent reading. As the label in the title indicates, this form of silent reading involves supports for readers, including guidance from teachers on the texts that are read, periodic teacher monitoring to determine students’ progress and proficiency with the text, and accountability through responses or records of what has been read.

In one of the recent studies, Reutzel, Fawson, and Smith (in press) compared scaffolded silent reading with guided repeated oral reading. Reutzel and his colleagues found no significant differences on third graders’ fluency and comprehension with the two kinds of reading with one exception—a significant difference favoring the scaffolded silent reading group in expression of a single passage. These researchers concluded that scaffolded silent reading represents a companion to guided repeated oral reading for promoting fluency and comprehension.

In a study conducted by S. Jay Samuels (co-chair of the NRP sub-committee on fluency who believed that the Panel’s conclusions about silent reading required bolstering) and Yi-Chen Wu (2004), scaffolded silent reading proved to have a significant effect on students’ word recognition, vocabulary, and comprehension. In particular, poor readers showed significantly greater gains in word recognition and vocabulary than good readers as a result of scaffolded silent reading.

A third study by Kuhn and her colleagues (2006) compared the effects of guided repeated oral reading of a single text for a week with reading of several texts that included some guided repeated oral reading and silent reading (much like the QuickReads instructional procedure). Students in the latter group (called wide reading) had greater text reading fluency compared to control students (and the guided repeated oral reading group with a single text did not). The same pattern of results was found in a subsequent replication.

The combination of guided repeated oral reading and silent reading in the QuickReads instructional routine reflects this solid research base. The inclusion of silent reading also means that students apply their fluency to the silent reading context—the context that characterizes the reading that is most typically done (even in school assessments). The QuickReads routine of guided oral and scaffolded silent reading is research-based and ensures that students are prepared to be fluent in the many silent reading tasks of school and beyond.

References

Hunt, L.C. (1970). Six steps to the individual reading program. Elementary English, 48, 27-32.

Kuhn, M.R., Schwanenflugel, P.J., Morris, R. D., Morrow, L.M., Woo, D., Meisinger, B., Sevcik, R., Bradley, B., & Stahl, S.A. (in memoriam), (2006). Teaching children to become fluent and automatic readers. Journal of Literacy Research 38, 357-387.

Reutzel, D.R., Fawson, P.C., & Smith, J.A. (in press). Reconsidering silent sustained reading (SSR): An exploratory study of scaffolded silent reading (ScSR). Journal of Educational Research.

Wu, Y., & Samuels, S.J. (2004). How the amount of time spent on independent reading affects reading achievement: A response to the NRP. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Reading Association, Reno, NV.