Term

2014

Capstone

Restricted Access Thesis

Degree Name

MAESL

Abstract

The research question addressed in this project is: are there specific CAFE fluency strategies that are more effective for English learners? This study evaluated five of the CAFE fluency strategies developed by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser to determine whether these strategies are effective for elementary English learners. Each fluency strategy was practiced for two weeks and then evaluated for its effectiveness. The results of this study indicate that the five strategies do appear to enhance fluency development for English learners. However, there appears to be certain strategies that work more effectively depending on the reading fluency level of the student. Students with the lowest levels of fluency (40-60 words per minute) appeared to benefit most by increasing their reading time and choosing appropriate leveled good-fit books. Students with a middle level of reading fluency (60-85 words per minute) showed more growth when utilizing the strategies of reading high frequency words and rereading text. All the English learners benefited from using punctuation to enhance phrasing and prosody.

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