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Version 1.3 – Updated November 2024

Reading comprehension programs

Overview

  • Influence: Reading comprehension programs
  • Domain: Curricula
  • Sub-Domain: Reading, writing and the arts
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to considerably accelerate
  • Influence Definition: These programs aim at developing comprehension strategies, using text-to-Speech to improve comprehension, the use of expository text on comprehension, and reading comprehension interventions.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 17
  • Number of studies: 827
  • Number of students: 81,996
  • Number of effects: 4,640
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.56
  • Robustness index: 5

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author First Author's Country Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Report Rowe USA Literacy: What messages are we sending. Toward practical theory: A state of practice assessment of reading comprehension instruction 1985 Reading comprehension interventions 137 0 1,537 0.70
Literacy Teaching and Learning Davis USA Toward a Lifetime of Literacy: The Effect of Student-Centered and Skills-Based Reading Instruction on the Experiences of Children. 2010 Comprehension strategies 101 10,765 197 0.36
Learning Disability Quarterly Antoniou & Souvignier Germany Strategy instruction in reading comprehension: An intervention study for students with learning disabilities. 2007 Comprehension training 81 0 81 0.59
Report Graham & Hebert USA Writing to Read: A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Writing and Writing Instruction on Reading 2010 Writing about material effects on reading comprehension 51 0 51 0.41
Journal of Learning Disabilities Woods, Moxley, Tighe, & Wagner USA Does use of text-to-speech and related read-aloud tools improve reading comprehension for students with reading disabilities? A meta-analysis 2018 Text-to-Speech to improve comprehension 23 0 23 0.35
Reading Research Quarterly Pyle, Vasquez, Lignugaris, Kraft, Gillam, Reutzel, Olszewski, Segura, Hartzheim, Laing, & Pyle USA Effects of expository text structure interventions on comprehension: A meta-analysis 2017 Expository text on comprehension 19 4,254 48 0.83
Revista de Psicodidactica Ripoll & Aguado Spain La mejora de la comprensión lectora en español: un meta-análisis. (The improvement of reading comprehension in Spanish: a meta-analysis) 2014 Comprehension on Spanish learning 39 0 39 0.71
Journal of Learning Disabilities Suggate USA A meta-analysis of the long-term effects of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension interventions 2016 Reading comprehension interventions 71 8,161 71 0.37
Journal of College Reading and Learning Clinton-Lisell, Taylor, Carlson, Davison, & Seipel USA Performance on Reading Comprehension Assessments and College Achievement: A Meta-Analysis.  2022 Reading assessments on Achievement 26 25,090 26 0.61
Campbell Collaboration Rogde, Hagen, Melby-Lervåg, & Lervåg Norway The effect of linguistic comprehension instruction on generalized language and reading comprehension skills: A systematic review. 2019 Linguistic comprehension strategies 43 13,567 48 0.16
Open Review of Educational Research Guo, Zhang, Wright, & McTigue USA Do you get the picture? A meta-analysis of the effect of graphics on reading comprehension. 2020 Graphics on reading comprehension 39 2,103 39 0.39
Review of Educational Research Wang, Filderman, Zhang, & Lin USA The Active Ingredient in Reading Comprehension Strategy Intervention for Struggling Readers: A Bayesian Network Meta-analysis.  2023 Reading comprehension interventions 52 3,668 52 0.48
Frontiers in Psychology Dong, Peng, Sun, Wu, & Wang China Reading comprehension and metalinguistic knowledge in Chinese readers: A meta-analysis.  2020 Metalinguistic knowledge and reading comprehension 46 10,793 46 0.80
 EFL Journal Alsuwat & Young USA Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Traditional versus technology-based instruction on reading Comprehension of EFL Students. 2016 Traditional and technology instruction 17 1,561 20 1.18
Language Teaching Research Li, Tong, Irby, Lara-Alecio, & Rivera USA The effects of four instructional strategies on English learners' English reading comprehension: A meta-analysis.  2024 Four instruction Reading strategies on comprehension 23 2,034 2,284 1.00
Conference Foote & Rabah Canada Cultural content scheme and reading comprehension: A meta-analysis. 2014 Cultural content schema on reading comprehension 36 0 55 0.71
Reading Comprehension Improvement for Spanish Students: A Meta-Analysis//La mejora de la comprensión lectora en español: Un meta-análisis. Revista de Psicodidáctica/Journal of Psychodidactics Ripoll & Aguado Spain Reading Comprehension Improvement for Spanish Students: A Meta-Analysis//La mejora de la comprensión lectora en español: Un meta-análisis 2013 Reading comprehension interventions 23 0 23 0.71
TOTAL/AVERAGE 827 81,996 4,640 0.61
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