Serious reading problems exist among middle school learners as evidenced by declining national reading scores and increased dropout rates. In response to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) expectations in reading, several experts have promoted a scripted repeated reading strategy such as readers' theater as a possible approach to improving student achievement. While this literature has suggested support for readers' theater, an intervention should be empirically validated for local applications. Using the theoretical framework of Vygotsky, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the impact of readers' theater on reading fluency and comprehension. Using an experimental research design, data were collected from 50 6th-grade students at a rural intermediate school in the mid-eastern United States. Two groups of 6th-grade students were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group for a 10-week period. Pretest and posttest change scores of fluency and comprehension were analyzed using ANOVAs with classroom type (experimental and control) as the independent variable and fluency and comprehension as the dependent variables. Results supported that the experimental group increase in reading fluency was statistically higher compared to the control group. However, the difference on reading comprehension scores was not statistically different. Recommendations include implementing readers' theater in order to improve reading achievement in fluency. This study lends support to the efficacy readers' theater and offers research-based information to teachers who are seeking ways of improving students' basic literacy skills, especially those most at risk of reading failure. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]