Enhancing Preschoolers’ Reading Fluency through Shared Reading with Decodable Texts: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Early literacy development is a critical determinant of children’s long-term academic success and social development. While substantial efforts have been made to promote early literacy, effective instructional strategies that enhance preschoolers’ reading fluency remain an area of exploration. This study investigates the impact of shared reading with decodable texts on key early literacy skills, including phonemic awareness, decoding proficiency, and oral reading fluency. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, the study involved 30 preschoolers from two schools, divided into an experimental group receiving structured phonics-based instruction and a comparison group following conventional literacy practices. Over a 10-week period, the experimental group participated in daily 20-minute shared reading sessions incorporating phonics-based mini-lessons, guided reading with decodable texts, and fluency-focused activities. Findings reveal statistically significant improvements across all literacy components, reinforcing the efficacy of structured shared reading with decodable texts. Paired samples t-tests indicated notable gains in Letter Recognition (+9.10 points, t(29) = -14.805, p < .001), Phonemic Awareness (+11.30 points, t(29) = -18.921, p < .001), and Decoding Proficiency (+11.43 points, t(29) = -15.838, p < .001), with Oral Reading Fluency showing the highest increase. These results underscore the transformative potential of phonics-based shared reading interventions in accelerating preschoolers’ literacy development. This study contributes to the growing body of research advocating for structured, evidence-based literacy instruction in early childhood education. The findings offer valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to implement phonics-driven approaches that foster reading fluency in preschool settings, ultimately equipping young learners with the foundational skills essential for lifelong academic success.