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Cited by 372Reading and Literacy DevelopmentBehavioral and Psychological StudiesSecond Language Acquisition and Learning

A Meta-Analysis of Interventions for Struggling Readers in Grades 4–12: 1980–2011

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Scammacca, Nancy K., Roberts, Greg, Vaughn, Sharon, Stuebing, Karla K.·2015·Journal of Learning Disabilities
DOI 10.1177/0022219413504995PMC PMC3975734
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Abstract

This meta-analysis synthesizes the literature on interventions for struggling readers in Grades 4 through 12 published between 1980 and 2011. It updates Scammacca et al.'s analysis of studies published between 1980 and 2004. The combined corpus of 82 study-wise effect sizes was meta-analyzed to determine (a) the overall effectiveness of reading interventions studied over the past 30 years, (b) how the magnitude of the effect varies based on student, intervention, and research design characteristics, and (c) what differences in effectiveness exist between more recent interventions and older ones. The analysis yielded a mean effect of 0.49, considerably smaller than the 0.95 mean effect reported in 2007. The mean effect for standardized measures was 0.21, also much smaller than the 0.42 mean effect reported in 2007. The mean effects for reading comprehension measures were similarly diminished. Results indicated that the mean effects for the 1980-2004 and 2005-2011 groups of studies were different to a statistically significant degree. The decline in effect sizes over time is attributed at least in part to increased use of standardized measures, more rigorous and complex research designs, differences in participant characteristics, and improvements in the school's "business-as-usual" instruction that often serves as the comparison condition in intervention studies.

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Authors
Scammacca, N. K., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., & Stuebing, K. K.
Affiliations
  • The University of Texas at Austin (US)
  • University of Houston (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Learning Disabilities
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2013-10-03
Volume
48
Issue
4
Pages
369-390
ISSN
  • 0022-2194 (ISSN-L)
  • 1538-4780
DOI
10.1177/0022219413504995
PMC
PMC3975734
OpenAlex
W2140545426
Cited by
372
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3
FWCI
3.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Learning Disabilities (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P50HD052117)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
Keywords
struggling readers, reading intervention, reading disorders, intervention effectiveness, effect size, reading comprehension, school education, middle and high school students, research design
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Dyslexia, Education, Special, Humans, Outcome Assessment, Health Care

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