The Effects of Sustained Silent Reading, with Self-Selected Text, on Reading Comprehension of At Risk Second Graders

The objective of this research was to determine the effects of sustained silent reading, with self-selected text, on reading comprehension of at risk second graders. This study is a quasi-experimental design which included a pretest and posttest to compare reading comprehension of second grade students throughout the year. The measurement tools used to assess comprehension were the 2nd edition Fountas & Pinell Benchmark Assessment System and the Anne Arundel County Second Grade Benchmark. The posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest score for both the Fountas & Pinell and Anne Arundel County benchmark assessments. Research on self-selected independent reading should continue to determine if self-selected independent reading can positively impact a student’s ability to comprehend a variety of texts.