Lýsing
Declining reading achievement and a high proportion of children receiving special education or support in Iceland raise serious concerns. Implementing explicit, evidence-based instruction in first grade may reduce the prevalence of reading difficulties. While a few children acquire reading skills with minimal effort, most require structured, code-based instruction, particularly those at risk for reading difficulties. These students benefit from early, intensive, and repeated teaching in foundations for word reading skills such as letter knowledge and alphabetic coding skills. The Cognitive Foundations Framework (Tunmer & Hoover, 2019) outlines these components as one essential part of skilled reading comprehension. Teaching these skills in first grade is critical because delayed intervention often leads to persistent gaps in reading development.Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a class-wide, peer-mediated instructional programs designed to support reading development in different stages (Fuchs et al., 1997; McMaster et al., 2007). This study examined the effects of the Icelandic versions of Kindergarten and First Grade PALS on the reading growth of at-risk students in first and second grade, using a quasi-randomized group design with repeated measures.
Participants (n = 61) were identified as at risk based on performance in September of first grade, defined as naming fewer than five letter names in one minute and fewer than five letter sounds in total. Eight schools were assigned to either an experimental condition (PALS instruction) or a control condition (teaching as usual).
Early reading outcomes—including letter sound fluency, oral reading fluency, nonsense word fluency, sight word fluency, and reading comprehension—were assessed three to six times in September, January, and May across both school years. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model in jamovi to account for the repeated measures design.
Results indicated that at-risk students in the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater growth across all measures compared to their peers in the control group. PALS had a large effect on letter sound fluency (d = 1.04) and nonsense word fluency (d = 0.83), with moderate effects observed for sight word fluency (d = 0.71), oral reading fluency (d = 0.58) and reading comprehension (reading sentences) (d = 0.48) (reading single words (d = 0.72).
These findings suggest that PALS is a feasible and effective approach for improving early reading skills among students at risk of reading difficulties. Implementing such evidence-based strategies in the classroom may help reduce the need for later intervention and support more equitable literacy outcomes.
| Tímabil | 5 mar. 2026 |
|---|---|
| Viðburðartitill | NERA 2026 |
| Tegund atburðar | Ráðstefna |
| Staðsetning | Aarhus, DanmörkSýna á korti |
| Viðurkenning | Alþjóðlegt |