The effect of an instructional package for supporting reading fluency delivered through web-based coaching on the target skills of teachers and students

This study aimed to examine the effect of an instructional package for supporting reading fluency delivered through web-based coaching on the development of primary school teachers' knowledge levels about reading skills, their ability to plan reading fluency instruction, and their ability to use evidence-based reading fluency strategies, as well as its impact on improving the reading fluency success of students with intellectual disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders. A pretest-posttest control group design was used based on the matched pairs approach. The participants of the research consisted of: (a) classroom teachers who were interviewed for needs analysis, (b) classroom teachers participating in the experimental and control groups during the web-based coaching implementation process, and (c) students with ID and/or ASD. Nine classroom teachers participated in the needs analysis stage. The instructional package for supporting reading fluency was developed based on the teachers' opinions. Then, the process of web-based coaching began. A total of 22 teacher-student pairs participated in the web-based coaching phase. The research results indicate that the instructional package for supporting reading fluency delivered through web-based coaching significantly enhances classroom teachers' knowledge levels about reading skills, their ability to plan fluent reading instruction, and their ability to use evidence-based reading fluency strategies. Moreover, the instructional package's effectiveness in improving the reading fluency of students with ID and/or ASD varies according to the assessment format, text type, and components of fluent reading. Further, the social validity findings reveal the positive opinions of teachers and students regarding the instructional package and web-based coaching.