A whole-class paired reading programme improves reading comprehension, fluency and attainment in pupils, new analysis shows.
Credit: Pexels / Anastasia Shuraeva
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has released analysis of the Peer Assisted Learning Strategies UK (PALS-UK) programme, which was led by academics at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Birmingham.
The evaluation of PALS-UK involved thousands of Year 5 students at more than 100 schools and was done in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University. The project was funded through the Department for Education’s Accelerator Fund.
The evaluation found that pupils in primary schools using the PALS-UK programme made on average two months’ additional progress in reading compared to pupils in settings who did not take part.
Over 4,800 pupils took part in the trial, from in 114 schools in the North, East Midlands, Humber, and West Midlands regions of England. In half of the schools, teachers delivered the programme in Year 5 classes.
Peer Assisted Learning Strategies are used widely in the US with reports of positive results on pupils’ reading skills. Most trials have been small up until this point, so our project and these findings are a massive step forward.
Helen Breadmore, Professor of Literacy and Psychology in Education at the University of Birmingham, one of the leaders delivering the programme, said: “The PALS-UK programme is a whole-class, structured paired reading programme which aims to improve pupils’ reading comprehension, oral reading fluency and overall reading attainment. Pupils work together in pairs to coach each other during structured reading activities, for 30-35 minutes three times a week for 20 weeks.
“Peer Assisted Learning Strategies are used widely in the US with reports of positive results on pupils’ reading skills. Most trials have been small up until this point, so our project and these findings are a massive step forward. We’re delighted that not only did teachers and pupils like this approach to paired reading, but it also had a real impact on their reading outcomes.”
Dr Emma Vardy, Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University and co-lead on the PALS-UK programme said: “We have been developing PALS for the UK context for 10 years and we are thrilled to see the positive impact of PALS-UK. Thank you to the schools, teachers and pupils who have helped shape PALS-UK to be a transformative programme for reading comprehension, oral reading fluency and reading cultures in primary schools. We are looking forward to the next steps for the programme.”
Emily Yeomans, co-Chief Executive of the EEF said: “The PALS-UK evaluation shows incredible promise. Peer learning strategies have long been an important approach in teaching, with mixed results depending on the specific intervention. To see such an uplift in reading skills for pupils as part of this programme is incredibly exciting and this evaluation allows us to have confidence in this programme’s potential as a tool to boost reading levels in schools across England, skills that are vital to a young person’s overall education. Now our attention turns to building on this knowledge to better understand how this intervention could work in practice for schools on a larger scale.”
Professor of Literacy and Psychology in Education
Helen Breadmore is Professor of Literacy and Psychology in Education at the University of Birmingham
