The effects of varying group size on the reading recovery approach to preventive early intervention

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an early intervention program based on the Reading Recovery (RR) format could be developed for pairs of struggling readers that would allow them to make accelerated progress similar to that experienced in the 1-to-1 RR tutorial. A preliminary pilot study showed that the RR lesson format could be adapted for teaching pairs of struggling readers without compromising the integrity of the lesson content, provided that the average length of the lesson was increased to 41 min. An experimental study comparing the effectiveness of 1-to-1 RR instruction with RR instruction in pairs showed that although RR instruction in pairs required somewhat longer lessons (42 min vs. 33 min), there were no major differences between the two groups on any measures at discontinuation and at the end of the year, nor was there a significant difference between the groups in mean number of lessons to discontinuation. The results further indicated that by discontinuation, the children in the treatment groups were performing within the average range on all measures, and that these positive effects were maintained on end-of-year measures. Thus, by increasing instructional time by about a quarter, RR teachers can double the number of students served without making any sacrifices in outcomes.