| Reading fluency has been an area of struggle for students. Certain populations of students, such as English language learners (ELLs), have struggled even more so, affecting their overall achievement. Interventions have been implemented and studied regarding the reading fluency of ELLs, yet reading fluency has continued to be problematic in this student population. A qualitative holistic multiple-case study was conducted to identify cultural, linguistic, and instructional factors and experiences related to these factors that may contribute to reading fluency development in ELLs. Interviews and observations were utilized to identify cultural, linguistic, and instructional factors and experiences related to these factors regarding the phenomenon. One administrator, two teachers, and three parents of ELLs in first through third grades at each of two suburban elementary schools in Arizona were the participants in the study. The study revealed, across schools, that socio-economic and familial practices and priorities were the noteworthy cultural factors reported to affect reading fluency development. The linguistic factors that surfaced were dual language effects, language transfer, and the connection of language components. The instructional factors that dominated the data were modeling reading fluency and many opportunities for practice, in both English and Spanish. The findings from the study suggest that acknowledging and understanding the influence of specific cultural, linguistic, and instructional factors on ELLs in their reading fluency development is critical in helping ELLs progress. It is recommended that educators recognize and better understand home and dual-language factors impacting ELLs in their reading and address the instruction of ELLs accordingly, ensuring that parents play an integral role in the reading education of their children, in English and/or Spanish. Further research on specific family supports, in English and in Spanish, regarding implementations that will help parents address reading fluency development with their children should be conducted. Language transfer should also be more deeply explored to better understand how to foster the transfer of skills between languages with ELLs. Lastly, research on socio-economic influences on ELLs and on specific strategies and resources and their effectiveness with ELLs is needed to determine how to more directly address reading fluency development in ELLs. |
