Comparison study of the reading achievement of students who have participated in the Fast ForWord program with students who have not participated in the program
Year: 2002
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in the Fast ForWord Reading Program had an effect on reading achievement. Fast ForWord is a computer-based program that utilizes a CD-ROM as well as the Internet to enable students to learn and practice skills that are critical to language comprehension and reading development. According to Scientific Learning, the developer of the Fast ForWord Program, 40% of students need to improve their reading skills. Therefore, Scientific Learning developed a computer program that can alter speech sounds, enabling students to differentiate between phonemes, increase language skills, increase phonological awareness, expand working memory, increase processing speed, improve grammar, improve syntax, and improve sequencing. This study evaluated the reading progress of two groups. The first group consisted of thirty-three classified students in the first through sixth grades that participated in an eight-week summer Fast ForWord Program. The second group contained twenty-six students in the second through sixth grades who did not attend the program. The students were pre tested and post tested, using the Broad Reading Component of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery. The data showed that groups were not equivalent at the beginning of the study, and therefore, the influence of the Fast ForWord training as a treatment to correct reading delays could not be unequivocally determined.
Author: Nancy A. Werner
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2757533214