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Effectiveness
Findings
The WWC review of interventions for beginning reading addresses student outcomes in four domains: alphabetics, reading fluency, comprehension, and general reading achievement. 5 The study included in this EIR® report covers two domains: alphabetics and comprehension. Within alphabetics, results for two constructs, phonological awareness and phonics, are reported. The findings present the authors' estimates and WWC-calculated estimates of the size and the statistical significance of the effects of EIR® on students.
Alphabetics. The Taylor et al. (1991) study findings for this domain are based on students' performance on two measures of alphabetics: (1) segmentation and blending and (2) vowel sounds. When the EIR® group was compared with the comparison group, the study authors found and the WWC confirmed statistically significant positive effects on both measures.
Comprehension. The Taylor et al. (1991) study findings for the comprehension domain are based on the performance of EIR® students and comparison students on a standardized reading test (Gates-MacGinitie). The study authors did not find statistically significant effects of EIR® but the effect was positive and large enough to be considered substantively important according to WWC criteria (that is, an effect size at least 0.25).
Rating of effectiveness
The WWC rates the effects of an intervention in a given outcome domain as: positive, potentially positive, mixed, no discernible effects, potentially negative, or negative. The rating of effectiveness takes into account four factors: the quality of the research design, the statistical significance of the findings,6 the size of the difference between participants in the intervention and the comparison conditions, and the consistency in findings across studies (see the WWC Intervention Rating Scheme).
6 The level of statistical significance was reported by the study authors or, where necessary, calculated by the WWC to correct for clustering within classrooms or schools and for multiple comparisons. For an explanation, see the WWC Tutorial on Mismatch. See the WWC Intervention Rating Scheme for the formulas the WWC used to calculate the statistical significance. In the case of Early Intervention in Reading®, corrections for clustering and for multiple comparisons were needed.
