Oral reading fluency as a predictor of silent reading fluency at secondary and postsecondary levels

What is it about?

This study (N = 233) investigated oral reading fluency (ORF) as a predictor of silent reading fluency (SRF) at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Namely, aspects of ORF were identified that serve as predictors of SRF. Several measures were used, including the Gray Oral Reading Test, the Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency, the Test of Silent Contextual Reading Fluency, and the Reading Observation Scale.

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Why is it important?

Most of the attention paid to reading fluency has focused on students in the elementary grades, largely ignoring the role of fluency at the secondary level and beyond. Yet, given the heavy emphasis on reading in secondary and postsecondary classes, being a fluent reader is critical for those planning to attend higher education, whether at four-year colleges or universities, community colleges, or trade/technical schools. Further, while attention has been paid to reading fluency, much work remains to be done with regard to the correlation between ORF and SRF of adolescents and adults. These are critical voids, given the importance of fluency as it relates to reading comprehension. Overall, strong relationships between ORF and SRF, and their relationship with reading comprehension at the secondary and postsecondary levels, were found in this investigation.

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