Using a Previewing Strategy to Enhance Reading Comprehension of Secondary Students

A multiple-baseline-across-participants design was used to evaluate the effects of the TELLS procedure on reading comprehension levels, reading comprehension rates, and words correct per minute on previewed and un-previewed passages in three ninth-grade students with reading skills deficits. Results showed an immediate increase from baseline to intervention phases across all three students and dependent variables. However, these increases were not maintained. Effect sizes across all three students were from moderate to large, suggesting that the TELLS procedure had an affect on reading comprehension levels and rates, as well as words correct per minute. Thus, the TELLS procedure is an effective accommodation tool for children with reading skills deficits. However, data collected during generalization phase showed no improvements on un-previewed passages. Consequently, these data prevent one from concluding that the intervention caused generalizable increases in reading skills.