Even though reading comprehension is very important to children’s reading skills and it is a predictor of their
future academic success, many students struggle with reading. Reading difficulty is not only a problem for
younger children; older students also have similar issue. National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP]
(2007) reported urgency of the problem. Seven hundred and thirty schools and 191,000 fourth-graders
participated in a reading assessment. The results of this assessment showed that about one third of fourth graders
cannot read at a basic level (NCES, 2007). Furthermore, struggling readers read and learn less than their peers,
resulting in the Matthew Effect, where the rich become richer and the poor get poorer (Stanovich, 1986).
Therefore, reading problems often continue into adulthood; approximately 23% of U.S. adults meet only basic
reading proficiency levels (NCES, as cited in Rapp et al., 2007). All of these issues emphasize the need for
effective approaches for struggling readers.