22. A student who struggles to comprehend fiction texts is asked to read aloud an appropriately leveled short story. During the initial and subsequent readings of the story, the teacher × the student and notes that the student's accuracy and reading rate increase. Which of the following best explains why the reading intervention the teacher is using is effective?
Answer: B
Improved automatic word recognition enhances comprehension.
The reading intervention is effective because it improves automatic word recognition, allowing the student to allocate more cognitive resources toward comprehending the text rather than decoding it.
A) Exposing students to the same fiction multiple times will familiarize them with narrative elements.
While repeated exposure to the same text can help students recognize narrative structures, this option does not directly address the immediate improvement in reading rate and accuracy. Familiarity with narrative elements is beneficial but secondary to the crucial role of automatic word recognition in enhancing comprehension.
B) The process improves automatic word recognition, freeing up cognition for comprehension.
This option accurately explains the effectiveness of the intervention. As the student reads the same story multiple times, they become more proficient at recognizing words automatically, which reduces cognitive load. This allows them to focus more on understanding the content and meaning of the text, thereby improving overall comprehension.
C) Multiple readings of a text encourage a student to focus on expression and prosody.
Although focusing on expression and prosody can be a beneficial outcome of repeated readings, it does not primarily address the reason for the increase in accuracy and reading rate. The intervention's main goal is to enhance word recognition, which is foundational for comprehension, rather than solely improving expressive reading.
D) The process assesses fiction-reading level while allowing the teacher to determine the student's skill and strategy competence.
This option emphasizes assessment aspects of the intervention, which may be a component of the teaching strategy but does not explain why the reading intervention itself is effective. The primary focus should be on how the repeated readings enhance the student's reading capabilities rather than merely assessing their skills.
Conclusion
Option B is the definitive answer as it succinctly captures the essence of why the reading intervention works: it enhances automatic word recognition, which is crucial for comprehension. The other options, while they present valid points, do not directly correlate with the observed improvements in the student's reading accuracy and rate, making them less relevant to the effectiveness of the intervention.