The effect of vacation on reading fluency development

Purpose  To evaluate the effect of vacations on the reading fluency of elementary school students.

Methods  This analytical, longitudinal, observational study included 98 students from 2nd to 5th grades, who read texts appropriate for their school year before and after vacations between 2022 and 2024. The performance of the same students in both periods and the progression of reading speed between grades throughout the year were compared. The paired t-test was used to assess reading performance at different time points, the t-test to analyze progression, and Cohen's d test to calculate the effect size.

Results  The findings show an improvement in reading speed measures between the beginning and end of the school year. However, they also point to a statistically significant difference between before and after extended vacations, indicating a decline in post-vacation performance – except for students going from 2nd to 3rd grade, whose reading practice remained constant. The findings reinforce the importance of pedagogical strategies to encourage continued reading during vacation.

Conclusion  This study highlighted the negative impact of the vacation effect on reading fluency performance among 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade students, whose reading fluency declined after the extended school vacation.

Keywords:
Reading; Learning; Evaluation Study; Holidays; Students