The Echo Reading Method: An Action Research

This study examined the effect of the echo reading method on correcting oral reading errors and improving reading comprehension skills of fourth-grade primary school students. The study employed action research, which is one of the qualitative research methodologies. The research was conducted with a student selected from the fourth grade of a primary school in Bartın. The student’s reading level was assessed using the Reading Errors Inventory (REI). The REI is an assessment tool used to identify reading errors, reading comprehension skills, and reading levels of students experiencing reading difficulties. This inventory consists of three scales: the environment scale, the oral reading scale, and the question scale. While the environment and oral reading scales determine the student's word recognition and phonological awareness levels, the question scale evaluates the student's reading comprehension skills. The total score obtained from the three scales is interpreted as follows: a score below 180 indicates the frustration level, a score between 180 and 240 reflects the instructional level, and a score of 240 or above corresponds to the independent level. According to the evaluation based on the REI, the student’s reading level was found to be at the frustration level for third and fourth grades, and at the instructional level for the second grade. The educational intervention using the echo reading method began at the second-grade level. The student, whose reading level was determined, received echo reading instruction for a total of 32 hours, four hours per week. Each session consisted of two 45-minute lessons. The study lasted for eight weeks and was completed in 16 sessions. As a result of the research, it was determined that the student’s reading level, which was at the second-grade instructional level, improved to the fourth-grade independent level. Additionally, a significant decrease in oral reading errors and substantial improvement in reading comprehension skills were observed. Keywords: Reading, Fluent Reading, Reading Difficulty, Echo Reading Method