Individual differences in reading comprehension gains from assisted reading practice: Pre existing conditions, vocabulary acquisition, and amounts of practice

We conducted a study of the effects of assisted reading practice (Shany & Biemiller, 1995). In this paper we examined the original data to find factors affecting gains in reading comprehension. We contrasted 14 children who had below median gains in reading comprehension and 15 who had above median gains. There were no significant correlations between pre-program language and reading measures and reading comprehension gains. High comprehension gainers made significantly larger gains in vocabulary. In the previous report on this research, we found that reading practice had large beneficial impact on reading comprehension. In this study we also found that children who gained significantly more vocabulary had also significantly higher gains in reading comprehension. Implications are discussed.