Efficacy evaluation of a full-scale response to intervention program for enhancing student reading abilities in a Swedish school context

Abstract

AbstractReading abilities in Swedish students have declined in recent decades. The current study examined the effectiveness of a full-scale three-tier Response to Intervention (RtI) model designed to improve reading skills in Swedish students. Participants were grade 2 students in a primary school setting. A quasi-experimental between-group design was used to examine treatment effects. The RtI experimental group (n = 11) and comparison group (n = 11) were monitored longitudinally over 2.5 years. The interventions included specialized instruction on decoding and reading comprehension. The comparison group received treatment as usual. After the intervention, the number of students in need of support in the experimental RtI-group was reduced from six to one. Furthermore, decoding and reading comprehension improved in the experimental group relative to the comparison group; however, the results were not significant. The standard deviation in the experimental group was smaller than that in the comparison group for all follow-up measures. The intervention effect was sustained after one and a half year in most of the students who had responded to the intervention. In addition, the participating teachers mostly appreciated the RtI-model. These preliminary findings suggest that the RtI model possibly can enhance reading skills in Swedish students; however, more research is needed. Implications for using the RtI model are discussed.