From A to Z: Effects of a 2nd-grade reading intervention program for struggling readers

A multi-component reading intervention program for 182 second-grade struggling readers (ages 7-8) was evaluated. The program, consisting of approximately fifty 45-minute sessions, included repeated readings, word recognition, morphological analysis, text interpretation, and writing skills. Using a difference-in-differences, quasi-experimental design, the intervention group showed significantly faster progress in reading speed, accuracy, and expressiveness compared to a classmate control group (n=827). By the end of the school year, differences in accuracy and expressiveness became small, while a significant difference in reading speed persisted. The study highlights implications for research and practice.

Addressing early reading problems is a global concern, with UNICEF reporting that two-thirds of 10-year-olds globally cannot read and understand a simple story, exacerbated by the pandemic. Portugal, despite good international study results, saw a drop in PIRLS rankings. Studies show a strong link between reading fluency and academic success, with struggling readers having significantly lower chances of good grades. Governments and schools employ strategies, but concerns exist about the learning impact of increased school enrollment. Research points to implementation fidelity, tutor-student ratio, timing, location, frequency, and length of intervention as critical factors for success. Teacher qualifications also play a role, with professional teachers often favored, though paraprofessionals can be effective with sufficient training. Intervention content often covers multiple foundational reading skills, with writing interventions showing larger effect sizes, and morphological instruction being an underutilized but impactful area. Direct, explicit instruction, immediate feedback, and repeated reading are effective didactic approaches.

The study tested the 'A to Z' program, an intervention for first and second-graders with reading difficulties, focusing on second graders from 108 classrooms in 73 schools across Portugal. The program involves qualified tutor-teachers receiving specific training and ongoing support. Students in the program are evaluated every three weeks, while control group classmates are evaluated at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Unique features of 'A to Z' include early intervention from qualified teachers, a full-school-year duration to prevent setbacks, emphasis on extensive writing alongside decoding and text interpretation, and teacher readings for motivational purposes. Unlike other Portuguese studies, 'A to Z' is extensive, uses qualified teachers, and is supported by a research team, overcoming common cost barriers.

Students were selected for the 'A to Z' program if they scored a median result of ≥ 3.5 on the Hong-Kong Learning Difficulties Behaviour Checklist (HKBCL) and could read no more than 30 words per minute (wpm) in an oral reading test. The 30 wpm threshold aligns with students between the 10th and 25th percentile of the "Oral Reading Fluency" norms and national expectations for second graders (55 wpm). The study used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design due to the inability to randomly assign students, a method that minimizes the impact of non-randomization. The universality of reading rates across languages, despite orthographic differences, supports the combined use of international and national norms. The study included 1009 second-grade students, with 182 in the intervention group and 827 in the control group.

The primary goal was to assess the 'A to Z' program's overall impact on students' reading speed, accuracy, and expressiveness. The results strongly supported the hypothesis that the intervention group would show significant improvements compared to the control group across these metrics. Detailed discussion of specific program components, such as repeated readings or morphological analysis, was not the focus; instead, the study aimed to evaluate the program's effectiveness as a comprehensive unit.

The authors declared no conflict of interest. The 'Teresa and Alexandre Soares dos Santos - Iniciativa Educação' organization was acknowledged for financing, developing, and supporting the publication of the 'A to Z' program.