Sapp, Lorri L.
Abstract:
The setting of this study was the Independence School District, a suburban districteast of Kansas City, Missouri. The sample was a group of 8th grade students fromGeorge Caleb Bingham Middle School identified as reading at the 6th grade level orbelow in the 2010-2011 school year. One group within the sample was chosen toparticipate in a district pilot for systematic phonics instruction using Reading Horizons.A second academically similar group continued with the standard literature-focuseddistrict curriculum using the Success for All Foundation’s The Reading Edge Programduring reading class.The purpose of this study was: 1) to compare the difference in the change inreading scores between the two groups of eighth grade students, one receiving phonicsbased instruction and one receiving literature-focused instruction, 2) to determine if thedifference in the change in reading scores was affected by reading level, and 3) toconclude if the change in reading scores by the group receiving phonics instructionequaled or exceeded one grade level in achievement, and whether any achievement wasaffected by reading level.The research design for this study was quantitative and quasi-experimental.Reading scores from four independent commercial instruments were utilized to analyzethe various sub-skills of reading under study: comprehension, fluency, phonics, and,vocabulary, as well as overall communication arts achievement. Students’ reading scoresfrom the beginning and end of the study were compared for growth. Additionally,students’ scores on the state assessment were compared for change in proficiency levels. The findings of the study were mixed. Analysis indicated no significantdifference in the change in reading scores between the group receiving phonics-basedinstruction through the Reading Horizons phonics program and the group receivingliterature-focused instruction through the Success for All Foundation’s The Reading Edgeprogram. Analysis also revealed a marginally significant difference in comprehension fortwo subgroups of students receiving phonics instruction: 1) students 2-3 grade levelsbelow 8th grade reading level, and 2) students 4 or more grade levels below. Additionalresults indicated a statistically significant difference for all dependent variablesmeasuring whether students receiving phonics instruction equaled or exceeded one gradelevel equivalent in growth of reading scores; however, five of the six measureddifferences were negative, indicating a decline in reading scores. Further analysisindicated a significant difference in the change in reading scores between students whoinitially tested lower than the students who initially tested higher in the phonics group forcomprehension; though the other dependent variables which were the differences inphonics, fluency, and vocabulary scores revealed no significant difference in the changein scores between the two levels of students. Overall, student participation in the phonicspilot did not lead to statistically significant changes in reading scores when compared toparticipation in literature-based instruction.