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The Effects of Reading Interventions on the Word-Reading Performance of English Language Learners: A Meta-Analysis
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- Author / Creator
- Ludwig, Caralyn E.
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Despite a large body of research on the effectiveness of reading interventions for monolingual English speakers, research on reading interventions for English language learners (ELLs) is still relatively scarce. Because the number of ELLs in schools is growing rapidly and these students often have weaker English literacy skills than their English-speaking peers, this meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of reading interventions in improving the word-reading skills of school-aged ELLs. Fourteen experimental studies with reported outcomes for pre-test and post-test were selected, and four moderator variables (group size, intensity of the intervention, student risk status, and type of intervention) were explored to explain differences in the intervention effects. The results of the random effects analysis showed that the reading interventions had a large, positive effect on ELLs’ real word (g = 1.07), nonword (g = 1.00), and combined real word and nonword (g = 1.15) reading scores. Results also suggested that some reading interventions were more effective than others. We found differences in effectiveness related to the group size and the length of the intervention in the real word reading analysis, but more research into potential moderators is warranted. Overall, our findings suggest that reading interventions for ELLs produce significant effects, and should not be delayed until these students have reached a certain level of oral English proficiency. Such interventions are likely an important first step in closing the achievement gap between ELLs and their English-speaking peers.
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2017
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Education
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.