Effects of Explicit Instruction on Decoding of Struggling First Grade Students: A Data-Based Case Study

Abstract Decoding unknown words when reading text is a necessary tool of skilled readers. Beginning readers need repeated opportunities to develop decoding ability. We investigated whether explicitly teaching essential components of beginning reading instruction promoted first graders' skill in decoding pseudowords. We employed a multiple- baseline design across groups of children to examine the effects of an intervention that included the use of manipulative letters to promote segmenting, blending, sounding out, and spelling skills. We monitored decoding skills by repeatedly measuring reading of pseudowords by 9 first-grade students identified as having incipient reading problems. Findings indicate that each student's skill in decoding increased with the introduction of instruction incorporating explicit decoding practice. These results reveal that teachers can use relatively simple instructional practices to enhance early reading skills. ********** Recent reading research provides compelling evidence that children who start off poorly in reading typically remain deficient readers throughout their schooling and beyond (Adams, 1990; Juel, 1988; Stanovich, 1986; Torgesen & Burgess, 1998). Stanovich (1986) described this phenomenon as the Matthew Effect-the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The impact of early reading failure supports the need for early intervention for struggling readers. We must reject the previously popular notion that students who are not achieving reading proficiency are somehow developmentally unprepared for literacy instruction and that these students will grow out of their reading difficulties. Students' failure to gain reading proficiency is often related to a deficit in requisite skills rather than developmental lag (Foorman, Francis, Shaywitz, Shaywitz, & Fletcher, 1997), and early intervention appropriately designed to target areas of deficiency can help students become proficient readers. Elements of Effective Early Intervention in Reading The intervention in this study employed numerous elements of effective reading instruction. Each element was included after careful consideration of its supporting research base. In the following sections, we provide a brief review of the research supporting each instructional element. Explicit and systematic instruction. Explicit instruction is essential for students to make the associations they need for both skill acquisition and for generalization (Carnine, Silbert, Kameenui, & Tarver, 2004). For children who experience initial failure in reading or who lack sufficient background knowledge and skill, explicit instruction is particularly important to promote efficient growth (Mercer, Lane, Jordan, Allsopp, & Eisele, 1996). To ensure early success, beginning readers-especially struggling beginning readers-should be provided with instruction that is both explicit and systematic (Adams, 1990; Lane, 1994; National Reading Panel, 2000; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Emphasis on developing phonological awareness and decoding skill. In numerous studies with diverse student populations, phonological awareness instruction significantly improved the students' reading skills, including word reading, phoneme blending, and segmenting (Chard, Simmons, & Kameenui, 1998; Foorman, Francis, Beeler, Winikates, & Fletcher, 1997; Jackson, Paratore, Chard, & Gamick, 1999). For a child leaming to read an alphabetic language such as English, understanding of the alphabetic principle-the fundamental insight that letters and sounds work together in systematic ways to form words-is essential (Adams, 1990; Chard et al., 1998; Snow et al., 1998). Most children need explicit decoding instruction in order to gain an understanding of the alphabetic principle and become good readers (Beck & Juel, 1995; Foorman, Francis, Fletcher, Schnatschneider, & Mehta, 1998). As measured by pseudoword reading tests, complete mastery of the cipher seems to be at the core of early reading success (Signorini, 1997). …