How Effective Are One-to-One Tutoring programs in Reading for Elementary Students at Risk for

Reading Failure? A Meta-Analysis of the Intervention Research

Elbaum, B., Vaughn, S., Hughes, M. T., & Moody, S.W.

Presented by: Brooke Betson

PurposeDetermine the effectiveness of one-to-one

reading interventions for elementary school children

Reading is an important skill for all studentsOne-to-One tutors can be costly

Questions to Consider

What intervention variables relate to the outcome:Expertise of tutorTraining volunteersDurationTotal hours of instruction provided

Questions to Consider

How does the outcome of Reading Recovery compare to other interventions?

How do one-to-one interventions compare to small group interventions?

Literature Review

Articles related to one-to-one interventions in reading were located using database thesauruses and from previous research

Ex. Educational Research Information Center

Inclusion Criteria1975-1998Study Participants were elementary

students identified as at risk for reading failure

Outcomes compared at risk students who received one-to-one interventions with students who did not receive interventions

Calculation of an effect size was possible

Included Studies29 studies met inclusion criteria

28 separate reports

Range of Dates2 from the 1970’s5 from the 1980’s21 from the 1990’s

Student Grade LevelMajority of students were in the first grade

Results

Intervention Variables:

Expertise of Tutor: Teachers, Community Volunteers, College Students or Paraprofessional

Training of Volunteers: Yes or NoDuration: Up to 20 weeks or Over 20 weeks Total Hours: Less than 50 or 50-150 hours

ResultsTutor k d 95% CI

Lower95% CI Upper

Teachers 28 .36 .26 .46

Community Volunteer

8 .26 .07 .45

College students 3 1.65 1.34 1.96

Paraprofessional 1 .68 .04 1.32

Results

Training of Volunteers

k d 95% CI

Lower

95% CI

Upper

All volunteer tutors

8 .26 .07 .45

Trained Volunteers

6 .59 .33 .84

Training not reported

2 -.17 -.46 .12

ResultsDuration k d 95% CI

Lower

95% CI

Upper

Duration Reported

30 .48 .38 .58

Up to 20 Weeks

14 .65 .50 .80

Over 20 Weeks

16 .37 .24 .49

Results

Total Hours k d 95% CI

Lower

95% CI

Upper

Studies Reporting Total Time

27 .35 .24 .46

Less than 50 hours

15 .38 .24 .52

50 – 150 hours

12 .32 .15 .48

Interpretation

Expertise of TutorGreatest gains when college students were

the tutors

TrainingGreater gains were made when volunteers

had been trained

Interpretation

DurationGreater effect size for interventions lasting up

to 20 hours

Total HoursResearch indicated that total hours was not

reliably associated with the effect size

ResultsReading Recovery vs. other intervention

strategies

Interventions using Teachers

Interventions for first graders

Results

Interventions Using Teachers

k d 95% CI

Lower

95% CI

Upper

All 28 .36 .26 .46

Reading Recovery

15 .47 .32 .62

Other 13 .28 .14 .41

Results

Interventions for First Graders

k d 95% CI

Lower

95% CI

Upper

All 26 .49 .39 .59

Reading Recovery

16 .66 .52 .80

Other 10 .29 .14 .44

Interpretation

Interventions Using TeachersReading Recovery had a larger effect, but this

was not statistically reliable

Interventions for First GradersReading Recovery had a significantly higher

effect size than other one-to-one interventions

Results

Reading Recovery vs. Small Group Interventions

Students achieved similar outcomes in both settings

ConclusionsOne-to-One interventions are not better

than small group interventionsCollege Students and trained volunteers

can help improve a child’s reading abilities Overall Reading Recovery is not better

than other programs, but for certain populations it does lead to significant gains in reading ability

Strengths and LimitationsStrengths

Detailed TablesEasily understandable

Detailed Information about all studies included

Limitations Lack of Information

How many studies were not included

What is Reading Recovery

Limited ExplanationsBrief explanations of all

variables

References Elbaum, B., Vaughn, S., Hughes, M.T., &

Moody, S.W. (2000). How effective are one-to-one tutoring programs in reading for elementary students at risk for reading failure? A meta-analysis of the intervention research. Journal of Educational Psychology 92(4), 605-619.

Reading Recovery Council of North America. (2001) Retrieved May 30, 2003 from http://www.readingrecovery.org