Research

Six studies reviewed by the WWC investigated the effects of Direct Instruction in center-based settings. One study (Cole, Dale, Mills, & Jenkins, 1993) was a randomized controlled trial that met WWC evidence standards with reservations.⁴ The remaining five studies did not meet WWC evidence screens.

Cole et al. (1993) included 164 three- to seven-year-old children from one experimental school in Washington state. They had special needs and no previous preschool experience. Cole et al. compared oral language, print knowledge, cognition, and math outcomes for children participating in a Direct Instruction group with outcomes for children participating in a comparison group that used Mediated Learning. Mediated Learning focuses on developing children's social and cognitive processing skills without emphasis on external reinforcement.

Extent of evidence

The WWC categorizes the extent of evidence in each domain as small or medium to large (see the What Works Clearinghouse Extent of Evidence Categorization Scheme). The extent of evidence takes into account the number of studies and the total sample size across the studies that met WWC evidence standards with or without reservations.⁵

The WWC considers the extent of evidence for Direct Instruction to be small for oral language, small for print knowledge, small for cognition, and small for math. No studies that met WWC evidence standards with or without reservations addressed phonological processing or early reading/writing.

Top