Abstract
<p>The current study examined the efficacy of Fast ForWord, a computer-based intervention designed to improve the auditory processing skills associated with language development and the subsequent acquisition of reading skills. The study used a randomized pre-test and post-test control design to examine the impact of Fast ForWord on the phonological awareness and rapid naming skills, of students who have failed to meet proficiency on the Connecticut Mastery Test in Reading as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing. The sample was recruited from a target population of 78 students from an urban school, between grades four and eight who were identified as at-risk students by scoring at the basic or below basic level on the 2008 Connecticut Mastery Test in Reading. A multiple regression and a two- group MANOVA were conducted as the methods in data analysis in this research. Results of the MANOVA indicated no significant differences in the levels of the independent variable, as defined by treatment and control group. Results of the multiple regression indicated that percentage of program completion predicted posttest phonological scores but not posttest rapid naming scores. Connecticut Mastery Test in Reading scores, when entered in the regression model, did not predict posttest phonological awareness or posttest rapid naming scores.</p>
