In 3 experiments, I investigated the role of verbal behavior development in reading and spelling sight words. I evaluated effects of different interventions for reading and spelling sight words and establishing the transformation of stimulus function across word reading and spelling. In Experiment 1, I evaluated the effects of 3 interventions on…

This study measured the effectiveness of sight word practice using flashcards and the growth results were compared based on presentation formats when administered to a group of second grade students. The data were later disaggregated to compare the success rates of each platform among three different subgroups within the test population, based on…

Looking at Cape Henlopen School District as a whole, most students within the district are proficient in reading. When looking at data for young adults (18-22) with autism and other severe disabilities in the Sussex Consortium Life Skills Program, students were not proficient in reading. They could not read functional words within context. This…

This mixed methods cross-sectional survey study framed in amalgamation theory (Ehri, 2020) and the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) explored the ways in which k-2 general classroom teachers define, understand, and teach sight word development through an orthographic mapping lens. The study utilized a convergent parallel design to…

For the purpose of this research, a concurrent multiple baseline design was used to measure the effects of a Constant Time Delay (CTD) intervention. CTD was implemented as an intervention to support four transition students' abilities to recognize functional sight words. The sessions were held during a summer transition program on a large…

This dissertation will serve four purposes. First, findings will be presented from a systematic review of the literature related to literacy interventions for students who are deaf/hard of hearing from prekindergarten through high school. Second, findings will be presented from an experimental study that will investigate the effects of a reading…

The purpose of this phenomenological bound case study was to explore the effect of acquiring sight words on reading fluency and comprehension skills for early literacy learners during a summer reading camp at one elementary campus in south Texas. Study findings indicated that through prescribed learning experiences with sight words that included…

Over the years, teachers have looked for the best way to teach their students to read. There are those who believe that teaching sight words is the best way to teach while others believe that a foundation in phonics instruction is a must. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect that phonics instruction has on the oral reading fluency…

This was a quasi-experimental comparison study conducted in a rural suburban school district in Texas. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether elementary students with dyslexic tendencies, who received the Tier III, Orton-Gillingham- (O-G) based Take Flight reading intervention being piloted on two campuses, showed statistically…

About 1 million children encounter reading problems during the first 3 years in school. Numerous teaching methods and various strategies are employed to teach children how to read. Reading provides the foundation for all school-based learning. When one of these foundation skills is missing or deficient, the child may have difficulty learning to…

Traditional drill and practice (TDP) is a sight word intervention that is well supported in the literature as being both effective and efficient. However, with growing demands in school systems, there is increased pressure to employ interventions that enhance learning outcomes with less instructional time. WordSheets (WS) was created as a method…

High opportunities to respond (OTR) have been touted as being a key factor in a popular and effective drill procedure called incremental rehearsal (IR). However, IR has also been criticized because it takes more instructional time than other drill procedures and can be less time efficient. The current study compared the effectiveness and…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate if students who read decodable books during independent reading time improved word reading and decoding skills more than students who read authentic literature during independent reading time but received the same instruction. The study was conducted for 10 weeks with 62 second-grade…

Simultaneous prompting is an errorless learning strategy designed to reduce the number of errors students make; however, research has shown a disparity in the number of errors students make during instructional versus probe trials. This study directly examined the effects of error correction versus no error correction during probe trials on the…

The Instant Word Notebook study was a program evaluation completed by two educators who saw a need for an instructional tool to teach and assess Instant Words. In order to address reading deficits of students in first and second grades, teachers were expected to teach Instant Words. Unfortunately, teachers did not have a systematic process to…