Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2018 Nov/Dec;51(6):612-624.
doi: 10.1177/0022219418775110. Epub 2018 May 21.

Current Evidence on the Effects of Intensive Early Reading Interventions

Jeanne Wanzek  1 , Elizabeth A Stevens  2 , Kelly J Williams  2 , Nancy Scammacca  2 , Sharon Vaughn  2 , Katherine Sargent  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Current Evidence on the Effects of Intensive Early Reading Interventions

Jeanne Wanzek et al. J Learn Disabil. 2018 Nov/Dec.

Abstract

Many students at risk for or identified with reading disabilities need intensive reading interventions. This meta-analysis provides an update to the Wanzek and Vaughn synthesis on intensive early reading interventions. Effects from 25 reading intervention studies are analyzed to examine the overall effect of intensive early reading interventions as well as relationships between intervention and student characteristics related to outcomes. The weighted mean effect size (ES) estimate (ES = 0.39), with a mean effect size adjusted for publication bias (ES = 0.28), both significantly different from zero, suggested intensive early reading interventions resulted in positive outcomes for early struggling readers in kindergarten through third grades. There was no statistically significant or meaningful heterogeneity in the study-wise effect sizes. Exploratory examination of time in intervention, instructional group size, initial reading achievement, and date of publication are provided.

Keywords: age; elementary; intervention; reading.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Al Otaiba S, & Fuchs D (2002). Characteristics of children who are unresponsive to early literacy intervention: A review of the literature. Remedial and Special Education, 23(5), 300–316.
    1. Borenstein M, Hedges LV, Higgins JPT, & Rothstein HR (2013). Comprehensive meta analysis [software] Version 3.3.070 Englewood, NJ: Biostat.
    1. *Coyne MD, Little M, Rawlinson D, Simmons D, Kwok O, Kim M, & Civetelli C (2013). Replicating the impact of a supplemental beginning reading intervention: The role of instructional context. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 6, 1–23. doi:10.1080/19345747.2012.706694 - DOI
    1. *Coyne MD, Simmons DC, Hagan-Burke S, Simmons LE, Kwok OM, Kim M, . . . Ware S (2013). Adjusting beginning reading intervention based on student performance: An experimental evaluation. Exceptional Children, 80, 25–44.
    1. Denton CA, Fletcher JM, Anthony JL, & Francis DJ (2006). An evaluation of intensive intervention for students with persistent reading difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39, 447–466. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources