Systematic Prompt Fading to Foster Self-Questioning and Reading Comprehension in At-Risk Elementary Students: A Multiple-Baseline Single-Case Study

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a structured reading comprehension intervention based on systematic prompt fading on three third-grade students from a socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary school in Germany. Self-questioning was incorporated as one instructional component of the intervention. A single-case AB design with multiple baselines across participants was employed to evaluate functional relations between the intervention and outcomes. Each student engaged in 15 individual sessions, during which comprehension was assessed through curriculum-based probes consisting of 250-word texts and ten open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric effect size indices (PET, Tau-U), and piecewise regression models at both the individual and group level. Results demonstrated clear improvements for all participants, with median comprehension scores rising from 1 correct answer at baseline to 5 during the intervention. Nonparametric indices indicated strong or large effects, while regression analyses confirmed significant slopes and level changes in Phase B. Social validity outcomes were uniformly positive. Findings provide convergent evidence that systematic prompt fading can substantially enhance reading comprehension in ecologically valid school settings.