Impact of the Thinking Reader Software Program on Grade 6 Reading Vocabulary, Comprehension, Strategies, and Motivation

Improving adolescent literacy is a critical step toward improving adolescent academic
achievement (Kamil , Borman, Dole, Kral, Salinger, & Torgesen, 2008). “Adolescent literacy”
commonly refers to the skills that students in Grades 4–12 need in order to successfully learn by
reading, as opposed to learning how to read, which is emphasized in earlier grades (Kamil, 2003;
Kamil et al., 2008; National Governors Association, 2005). Recent policy reports emphasize the
need to build students’ reading vocabulary and comprehension skills to meet the increased
literacy demands that begin in Grade 4 (Carnegie Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy,
2010; Meltzer, Smith, & Clark, 2001). Experts who drafted the Common Core State Standards
for English Language Arts have emphasized that students must show a steadily increasing ability
to discern more from text to become successful readers (National Governors Association &
Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). The current study evaluates an intervention
(Thinking Reader®) designed to improve middle school students’ reading vocabulary and
comprehension (Tom Snyder Productions, 2006a). It responds to an interest expressed by
stakeholders to the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands in improving literacy
outcomes for students beyond elementary school.