Enhancing the reading fluency skills of third grade primary school students through the cognitive apprenticeship model

ABSTRACT PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION ENHANCING THE READING FLUENCY SKILLS OF THIRD GRADE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH THE COGNITIVE APPRENTICESHIP MODEL ÇAĞLA DERVİŞOĞLU Reading, as one of the fundamental language skills aimed to be developed during primary education, plays a crucial role in accessing information, comprehension, and learning processes. Fluent reading ability significantly influences students' academic success and lifelong learning potential. Therefore, it is essential to support the development of fluent reading skills, particularly during the early years of primary education. However, in practice, the difficulties students face in fluent reading are often overlooked, and systematic efforts to improve these skills remain limited. Although third-grade students typically acquire basic reading skills, they may still struggle to read texts accurately, quickly, and meaningfully. Traditional instructional approaches often focus on pronunciation and letter recognition, with insufficient emphasis on cognitive strategies, comprehension techniques, and modeling-based learning. In this context, structured and interactive models such as the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (CAM) can be effective in enhancing students' fluent reading abilities. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model on the fluent reading skills of third-grade primary school students. Utilizing an action research design within a qualitative framework, the study was conducted in a public primary school during the 2024–2025 academic year with 32 third-grade students over ten weeks. The researcher also served as the implementing teacher, and all interventions took place in the natural classroom setting. Data were collected through the Multidimensional Fluency Scale, continuous classroom observations, researcher journals, and audio recordings. Descriptive and content analysis methods were employed for data analysis. Throughout the intervention process, the core components of CAM—modeling, coaching, feedback, reflection, and independent practice—were systematically applied. The findings indicated marked improvements in students' reading speed and accuracy, as well as in prosodic features such as intonation, emphasis, and expressive reading. Additionally, comprehension levels and attitudes toward reading improved significantly. Teachers and students reported that the model promoted active engagement and increased student self-confidence. Thus, the action research process contributed not only to student development but also enhanced the instructional competency of the teacher and offered new perspectives for classroom practices. Overall, the results suggest that the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model represents an effective, structured approach for teaching fluent reading. Key Words : Action research, cognitive apprenticeship model, fluent reading, third-grade students, classroom practice.