WWC review of this study

Reading Interventions with Varying Instructional Emphases for Fourth Graders with Reading Difficulties [Reading intervention with comprehension emphasis vs. business as usual]

Wanzek, Jeanne; Roberts, Greg (2012). Learning Disability Quarterly, v35 n2 p90-101. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1004796

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
     examining 
    47
     Students
    , grade
    4

Reviewed: November 2021

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards without reservations
Listening comprehension outcomes—Substantively important negative effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Oral Comprehension Subtest: Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III

Reading intervention 2 (Wanzek & Roberts (2012)) vs. Business as usual

2 Weeks

Comprehension emphasis intervention vs. Comparison;
47 students

86.21

90.74

No

--
Reading Comprehension outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Passage Comprehension Subtest: Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III

Reading intervention 2 (Wanzek & Roberts (2012)) vs. Business as usual

2 Weeks

Comprehension emphasis intervention vs. Comparison;
47 students

83.12

81.87

No

--

Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests (GMRT): Reading Comprehension subtest

Reading intervention 2 (Wanzek & Roberts (2012)) vs. Business as usual

2 Weeks

Comprehension emphasis intervention vs. Comparison;
47 students

452.46

463.36

No

--
Reading vocabulary outcomes—Substantively important positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests (GMRT-4) vocabulary subtest

Reading intervention 2 (Wanzek & Roberts (2012)) vs. Business as usual

2 Weeks

Comprehension emphasis intervention vs. Comparison;
47 students

459.67

452.78

No

--
Word and pseudoword reading outcomes—Substantively important positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Letter-Word Identification Subtest: Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III

Reading intervention 2 (Wanzek & Roberts (2012)) vs. Business as usual

2 Weeks

Comprehension emphasis intervention vs. Comparison;
47 students

99.00

95.61

No

--

Word Attack Subtest: Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III

Reading intervention 2 (Wanzek & Roberts (2012)) vs. Business as usual

2 Weeks

Comprehension emphasis intervention vs. Comparison;
47 students

98.42

96.39

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • 68% English language learners

  • Female: 36%
    Male: 64%
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    South, West
  • Race
    Black
    2%
    Other or unknown
    89%
    White
    9%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    89%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    11%

Setting

The study was conducted in five elementary schools in a southwestern school district of the United States.

Study sample

Demographic characteristics for the intervention condition are as follows: 29.2% female; 79.2% Hispanic, 16.7% White, and 4.2% Black; 4.2% were identified as having a specific learning disability; 62.5% were classified as having limited English proficiency; and 83.3% qualified for free/reduced-price lunch. Demographic characteristics for the comparison condition are as follows: 43.5% female; 100% Hispanic; 13.0% were identified as having a specific learning disability; 74.0% were classified as having limited English proficiency, and 100% qualified for free/reduced-price lunch.

Intervention Group

The study examined the effectiveness of a reading intervention for students struggling with reading. The intervention was delivered by a trained teacher to small groups of 2-4 students. Intervention sessions met daily for 30 minutes for 28 weeks. The intervention teacher utilized the Collaborative Strategic Reading program (Klinger, Vaughn, Dimino, Schumm, & Bryant, 2001). Students received instruction in reading comprehension strategies that involved four steps: preview, click and chunk, get the gist, and wrap up. Students engaged in text reading for 8-10 minutes and vocabulary instruction for 3-4 minutes. Students kept a reading log of their strategy use.

Comparison Group

Students in the comparison condition received school-provided supplemental reading instruction in small groups of 2-3 students. Teachers reported that the instruction consisted of practicing test-taking skills specific to reading passages and answering questions (e.g., decoding unknown words, using context clues to determine the meaning of words, identifying main ideas, and locating key information to answer comprehension questions).

Support for implementation

Intervention teachers were observed weekly and provide with feedback and were rated on a fidelity checklist monthly. Intervention teachers met weekly as a group.

 

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