Effectiveness of Interventions for English Learners with Word Reading Difficulties: A Research Synthesis

Abstract

This study meta-analyzed the last four decades of reading intervention research focused on improving reading outcomes for English language (EL) students in Grades K-5 with or at risk for word reading difficulties. Experimental and quasi-experimental group design and single-case experimental design (SCED) studies were included; 10 group design and 7 SCED studies met inclusion criteria (m = 61; total student N = 2,270). Visual inspection of the effect size distribution revealed that the assumption of between-study heterogeneity was not supported; therefore, the findings were synthesized for SCED studies separately from those reported in group design studies. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.In public schools across the United States, English learners (ELs) constitute a large and fast-growing student demographic (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 2020). Specifically, in the fall of 2018, more than 10% of the nation's K-12 students were classified as ELs, representing approximately 5 million students (NCES, 2020). Nationwide, the number of ELs in school grew by 28% from 2000 to 2016, with 17 states seeing a greater than 100% increase (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2020).National data demonstrate that many children who are ELs are not able to read proficiently; for example, the majority of fourth-grade EL students are not reading at a proficient level (10%; National Association of Education Progress, 2019). Complex and interrelated factors explain disparities in elementary-grade reading performance between EL and English monolingual (EM) students. Demographic data suggest that Hispanics experience systemic inequities in access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, and communities with large proportions of ELs experience higher poverty rates (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). As a result, more ELs attend schools of poorer quality and with fewer resources and experienced teachers than do EM students (Cosentino de Cohen et al., 2005;Gándara et al., 2003; Office for Civil Rights, 2016). Income disparities also factor into fewer out-of-school-time (OST) opportunities available to ELs, both before and after the Requests for reprints should be sent to Emily J. Solari, University of Virginia. Electronic inquiries should be sent to

English Learners’ Performance on a Measure of Dyslexia Risk

“…Our study also has implications for closing the EL reading achievement gap (US Department of Education, 2012) because our results suggest that it is possible to equitably screen EL and non‐EL students in first grade. Screening can allow for evidence‐based reading interventions for EL students at risk of experiencing reading challenge (see Solari et al., 2022), which could target this achievement gap. This chasm could be the result, in part, of decisions in earlier grades not to provide intensive reading intervention to EL students, even when they are at risk of experiencing reading challenge (separate from their proficiency in English; Samson & Lesaux, 2009).…”

Fluency Training for Struggling Readers: Examining the Effects of a Tier-2 Intervention in Third Graders

“…The program could benefit from doubling each session, meaning assigning two sessions for students to engage with each text. This adjustment would facilitate the incorporation of repeated reading of the same text and broaden exposure to unfamiliar texts simultaneously [9,10,18], which would probably foster the efficacy of the intervention.…”

“…Regarding the specific strategies implemented, we found that the multicomponent intervention, which incorporates non-repetitive reading, systematic procedures to tackling challenging words, corrective feedback, praise, exposure to different genres of texts, and opportunities for self-and hetero-assessment, were highly beneficial. These evidence-based tools, when systematically integrated into the intervention routine, significantly enhanced the reading performance of third-grade at-risk readers [9,10,18,21].…”

“…Yet, offering these Tier-3 interventions becomes challenging in resource-limited schools, primarily because Tier-3 interventions typically involve increased intensity and fewer students [17]. Hence, prompt identification of students struggling with reading is essential, along with immediate supplementary reading interventions to bolster their reading skills [6,18]. These interventions should be relatively short, allowing at-risk readers to enhance their reading skills and meet grade-level standards [10].…”

“…Tier-2 interventions tend to emphasize a multi-component approach, blending both codeand meaning-related skills, albeit with significant variability in these approaches [9,10,18]. Although repeated reading is a proven method to improve reading fluency in at-risk readers, its generalization to unfamiliar texts is often limited [5,20].…”