Evaluation of the Good Readers' Club : an early literacy intervention program

Abstract

Programs reviewed include : Success for All, Reading Recovery, the 5th Block Program and the Good Readers' Club at the Lakehead District School Board (Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario). 29 grade two students from ten elementary schools in the LDSB participated in this study. The Good Readers' Club identifies struggling readers prior to the introduction of formal reading instruction in grade one and grade two.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of an early literacy intervention program, The Good Readers’ Club implemented by the Lakehead District School Board (LDSB). A mixed method sequential exploratory design was used, and data were collected via semi-structured interviews, document review, and reading level assessment. Quantitative data were analyzed using a 2-way ANOVA, and the qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis and summarized into themes. The results suggested that improvement in reading scores of students in The Good Readers’ Club was significantly greater than the improvement of reading scores of students in the control group. Staff agreed that students benefited from participation in the program. The program had the proper resources, staff had sufficient training, and there was adequate administrative support to make it a well implemented and valued program in the LDSB. Improvements to the program were suggested by the staff participants. Recommendations for further strengthening of the program are provided.