Effects of family literacy programs on the emergent literacy skills of children from low-SES families: A meta-analysis

Suzanne Fikrat-Wevers, Roel van Steensel, Lidia Arends

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

27 Citations (Scopus)
64 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate effects of family literacy programs on the emergent literacy skills of children from low socioeconomic status families (0–6) and to establish which program, sample, study, and measurement characteristics moderate program effects. Outcomes of 48 (quasi-)experimental studies covering 42 different programs revealed a medium average effect of Cohen’s d = 0.50 on immediate posttests and a marginal average effect of Cohen’s d = 0.16 on follow-up measures. Together, effects of different moderator variables indicate that children benefit from targeted programs that focus on a limited set of activities and skills and that are restricted to one (training) context. Additionally, we found larger effects in experimental studies and when researcher-developed tests were used. Our outcomes not only provide guidelines for program developers but also call for more longitudinal research that examines how positive short-term changes as a consequence of program participation can be sustained over time.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)577-613
JournalReview of Educational Research
Volume91
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s).

Research programs

  • ESSB PSY

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