This article was first published on the website of the Danish Center for Social Science Research (VIVE), in Danish on 9 March 2020.
The effect of language and reading interventions beyond normal teaching is often small, but there are exceptions. A Campbell systematic review shows that small-group interventions have a positive effect on children’s language skills and reading comprehension.
Interventions to improve school children’s language skills and reading comprehension have often only limited positive effects. However, teaching in small groups is a method that is particularly effective. This is shown in a Campbell systematic review by Norwegian researchers. The review brings together 43 studies, each evaluating the effects of interventions aimed at supporting both language skills and reading comprehension among school children up to and including Grade 8. The studies included in the systematic review were conducted between 1992 and 2017 in the USA, Ireland, Mexico, Norway and the UK.
“The interventions have, on average, small positive effects on children’s language skills and no noticeable effect on their reading comprehension. This applies both when the children’s skills are tested soon after an intervention has been completed and up to almost a year after, ” said Jens Dietrichson, researcher at the Danish Center for Social Science Research (VIVE) who studies quality in schools and day care institutions.
However, he emphasised, interventions with small effects can also be important. For example, inexpensive interventions can have small effects and still be cost-efficient, and therefore worth doing.
Small groups have a big effect
The systematic review finds that interventions in which children are taught in small groups – fewer than 10 children – have greater positive effects than other interventions. This does not surprise Jens Dietrichson:
“The results of the review are in line with previous research in other teaching areas,” he said. “For example, teaching in small groups also has a positive effect on subjects such as maths and what American schools call English language arts: a curriculum area that includes listening, speaking, reading and writing.”
Better efforts require new knowledge
“We need more studies of what has an effect on pupils’ language acquisition – including language skills and reading comprehension – in Denmark and internationally. The knowledge we can gain from such studies is a good starting point for developing new and more effective initiatives,” said Jens Dietrichson.
Learning from American studies
Thirty-two of the 43 included studies in the review are from the USA. Despite large differences between the Danish and American school systems, there is inspiration to be found in them.
“In my opinion, there is nothing to indicate that the American initiatives could not be implemented in the Danish school system with roughly the same effect. This applies especially to initiatives using small-group interventions. We already know about such efforts here at home, and it therefore makes good sense to draw on the research evidence from the American interventions that show a good results,” said Jens Dietrichson.
Click here for a plain language summary of the review.