A Synthesis of Reading Interventions and Effects on Reading Comprehension Outcomes for Older Struggling Readers

TLDR

This article synthesizes intervention studies from 1994–2004 targeting older students (grades 6–12) with reading difficulties. The authors included 29 studies that examined decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension interventions and measured their impact on reading comprehension. A meta‑analysis of 13 studies showed a large overall effect (ES = 0.89) on comprehension, with word‑level interventions producing a smaller effect (ES = 0.34), informing instruction for older struggling readers.

Abstract

This article reports a synthesis of intervention studies conducted between 1994 and 2004 with older students (Grades 6-12) with reading difficulties. Interventions addressing decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension were included if they measured the effects on reading comprehension. Twenty-nine studies were located and synthesized. Thirteen studies met criteria for a meta-analysis, yielding an effect size (ES) of 0.89 for the weighted average of the difference in comprehension outcomes between treatment and comparison students. Word-level interventions were associated with ES = 0.34 in comprehension outcomes between treatment and comparison students. Implications for comprehension instruction for older struggling readers are described.