Read, Repeat...

Repeated reading is an effective and well-recognized fluency intervention today.  The method’s origin was born out the research of S. Jay Samuels and David LaBerge in the mid-1970’s.  Together, they developed the theory of automatic processing in reading which holds that a fluent reader decodes text automatically without attention, leaving attention free for comprehension.  Samuels took his automatic processing theory to practical application with his article, The Method of Repeated Reading. His research on repeated reading made a significant impact on the field of reading instruction.  Samuels led the way for other researchers in decades that followed to explore more techniques examining practice and repetition.

Repeated reading consists of rereading short passages several times until a satisfactory level of fluency is reached. Using this method with study participants, Samuels found that reading speed increased and errors decreased.  He discovered that when the emphasis was on reading speed instead of reading errors, his research participants were less fearful of making mistakes.  Although comprehension was not a focus of his study, he learned that comprehension also improved with each rereading.  He concluded that as less attention was needed for decoding, more attention could be given to comprehending the passage.

While Samuel’s repeated reading method has been around for more than forty years, it continues to be a tool that educators use to increase reading fluency. As I begin my action research using repeated reading as one component of my intervention package, I can already see the gains my students are making in speed, words read correctly, and in confidence.

APA Citation for articles:

LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. J. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in    reading. Cognitive Psychology, 6, 293-323.

Samuels, S. J. (1979/1997). The method of repeated readings. The Reading Teacher, 50(5), 376-381.