Abstract:

Reading fluency is a fundamental component of reading acquisition and a prerequisite for reading comprehension. Students with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) often experience persistent difficulties in developing accurate and fluent reading, particularly during the early years of schooling. In recent years, the use of digital learning environments in literacy instruction has expanded, in accordance with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, enabling personalized, engaging, and practice-based learning. The present study examines the impact of a digital intervention program on reading fluency among elementary school students with SLD.

The study is based on two intervention studies conducted using the ARC digital learning environment (Adaptive Reading and Comprehension), which offers graded reading activities and immediate feedback based on texts drawn from students’ emotional and social worlds. The environment integrates practice of linguistic skills- phonological, morphological, semantic, and orthographic- that form the foundation for the development of reading fluency.

Study 1 included second-grade students (n = 20), and Study 2 included third-grade students (n = 20); all participants were diagnosed with SLD. In each study, students were divided into an intervention group (n = 10) and a control group (n = 10). The intervention groups participated in structured digital reading activities using the ARC program, while the control groups continued with regular classroom instruction. In both studies, pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted.

Reading fluency was assessed using the A–T diagnostic battery, which examines measures of reading accuracy and reading rate across three reading tasks: letter combination charts, isolated word reading, and text reading. Statistical analyses were conducted separately for each grade level. Pre-intervention findings indicated no significant differences between the intervention and control groups, confirming comparable baseline performance.

The results revealed age-related patterns of improvement. In Study 1 (Grade 2), a significant improvement in reading accuracy was found only in text reading, whereas reading rate improved mainly in letter combination and isolated word tasks. In contrast, Study 2 (Grade 3) demonstrated a broader impact of the digital intervention. Students in the intervention group showed significant improvements in reading accuracy across all three reading tasks, as well as a significant improvement in reading rate during text reading.

These findings suggest that digital reading interventions may support the development of reading fluency in ways that vary according to students’ grade level. The study highlights the pedagogical potential of digital learning environments as effective tools for promoting reading fluency among students with SLD and underscores the importance of aligning intervention design with readers’ developmental stages.

Keywords:

Reading Fluency, Digital Intervention, Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), Elementary Education, Universal Design for Learning (UDL).