The Reading Apprenticeship: A Truly Personalized Intervention for Struggling Readers

• In Event: Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Literacy Instruction

Abstract

The Reading Apprenticeship is a volunteer-based intervention grounded in Vygotskian learning theory that offers struggling readers a truly personalized learning experience in which they successfully read self-chosen books with the scaffolding of an adult reading partner. This paper summarizes the results of eight studies of this intervention spanning more than a decade in which apprenticeship participants consistently demonstrated growth on standardized tests of reading achievement at 2-3 times the average rate expected of non-struggling readers, as well as greater motivation, more engaged reading behaviors at home and at school, and an increased sense of identity as readers. Because it is volunteer-based, this intervention is accessible to both public schools and NGOs serving diverse populations of struggling readers.

Author

• Nancy Flanagan Knapp, University of Georgia