Effects of Technology-Enhanced Practice on Scoring Accuracy of Oral Reading Fluency

Two types of independent practice activities to improve accuracy of pre-service teachers' measurement of oral reading fluency (ORF) were contrasted. Forty pre-service teachers, enrolled in an introductory special education course, received instructor-delivered classroom instruction on measuring ORF. After lecture and guided practice, participants were divided randomly into two groups. Each group practiced assessing ORF either with classmates acting as student readers or by accessing a Web page containing audio clips of stories read by an adult acting as a student reader. Two weeks after the practice session, participants were evaluated on their accuracy. Results indicated that pre-service teachers in the technology-enhanced practice condition reduced their scoring errors to the same degree as teachers did in the traditional practice format.