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Customizing a Research‐Based Reading Practice
Author(s) -
McMaster Kristen L.,
Jung PyungGang,
Brandes Dana,
Pinto Viveca,
Fuchs Douglas,
Kearns Devin,
Lemons Christopher,
Sáenz Laura,
Yen Loulee
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the reading teacher
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.642
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1936-2714
pISSN - 0034-0561
DOI - 10.1002/trtr.1301
Subject(s) - fidelity , flexibility (engineering) , reading (process) , psychology , mathematics education , best practice , instructional design , pedagogy , computer science , telecommunications , statistics , mathematics , management , political science , law , economics
Teachers are often asked to implement research‐based instructional programs with fidelity and to ensure that all students reach high academic standards. These requests sometimes conflict when teachers find that not all their students are benefiting from the research‐backed programs. In this article, we suggest that researchers and teachers can work together to balance the importance of both program fidelity and instructional flexibility, based on findings from recent research on Peer‐Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for Reading in Grades 2‐6. We detail how teachers can learn to implement research‐based practices with fidelity, as well as customize these practices to fit their own purposes. We end with general recommendations for customizing research‐based practices.