Efficacy of Institution-wide RTI Reading Intervention in Disadvantaged Suburbs of South Korea: 3-Year Analysis on Elementary Students with Reading Difficulties

The study examined the efficacy of reading intervention based on the Response to Intervention implementation (RTI) with public elementary school students and students from childcare centers in Gyeonggi province of South Korea. After the institution-wide screening and selecting process, reading intervention programs were provided at either Tier 2 or Tier 3 of the RTI in reading domains of fluency, vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension, or phonological awareness as needed. For each year, approximately 69 participants were selected and the grade ranges were between 1st and 6th grade. Pre-and post-test results in all intervention domains were analyzed both by year and grade, and between-grade comparison was further conducted. Significances relating to the middle grades were discussed from the findings. The need for the institution-wide RTI approach to successful intervention and educational implications are discussed.