EFFECTS OF REPEATED READING AND TIME-DELAY VOCABULARY ON READING BEHAVIORS OF ADOLESCENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS

Open Access
- Author:
- Vostal, Brooks Robert
- Graduate Program:
- Special Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 17, 2010
- Committee Members:
- David Lee, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
David Lee, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Kathy L Ruhl, Committee Member
David Brent Mcnaughton, Committee Member
Richard M Kubina Jr., Committee Member
John Michael Regan, Committee Member - Keywords:
- emotional and behavioral disorders
behavioral momentum
repeated reading
constant time delay
vocabulary - Abstract:
- Students with emotional and behavioral disorders demonstrate poor academic achievement, particularly in the area of reading. Inadequate task engagement is one factor that contributes to this poor achievement. Further research is necessary to better understand behavioral mechanisms that establish task engagement in reading so that effective interventions can ultimately combine evidence-based instruction and components specifically targeting engagement for this population. Behavioral momentum theory, which indicates that all behavior is comprised of velocity (i.e., response rate) and mass (i.e., resistance to change) that together establish momentum (i.e., persistence of behavior in a changing environment) offers a theoretical basis for this mechanism. A previous study found that increases in reading fluency decreased latency to initiate subsequent paragraphs–results predicted by behavioral momentum theory–but did not impact reading comprehension. This study examined effects of repeated reading and time-delay vocabulary preteaching interventions on fluency, latency, and comprehension. Results showed that both interventions decreased mean latencies to initiate subsequent paragraphs, an indicator of persistence, and increased mean words correct per minute, an indicator of endurance, though repeated reading resulted in greater mean differences from baseline. Both interventions resulted in mean increases in comprehension scores over baseline, with time-delay vocabulary resulting in larger gains for two of the three participants, while repeated reading resulted in larger gains for the third. Results are discussed in terms of behavioral momentum theory and implications for impacting students' behavioral engagement in academic assignments.