Optimizing reading comprehension intervention: A Bayesian network meta-analysis

By Winnie Tam, Centre for University and School Partnership, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Peng and colleagues conducted a Bayesian network meta-analysis (BNMA) to evaluate the effectiveness of various reading comprehension strategies for students with reading difficulties (RD) in grades 3 to 12. They included 52 experimental and quasi-experimental studies which examined strategies such as main idea summarization, inference, text structure, retell, prediction, self-monitoring, and graphic organizers, both individually and in combination. The researchers explored potential moderators like background knowledge instruction, age, text type, RD status, assessment type, intervention dosage, and study quality.

Unlike traditional meta-analyses, network meta-analysis allows for the comparison of multiple interventions simultaneously and ranks their effectiveness, even when some interventions have not been directly compared in individual studies. The study found that the most effective strategy combination was the main idea-text structure-retell (MTR) combination (ES =+1.72, SUCRA = 0.89). Other effective strategies included the main idea-text structure-self-monitoring-graphic organizers (MTSG) combination (ES =+1.13, SUCRA = 0.76) and the main idea strategy alone (ES =+1.07, SUCRA=0.77). Background knowledge (vocabulary/content knowledge) was the only significant moderator that enhanced the effectiveness of these strategies. Without it, no strategies or combinations showed significant efficacy. The number of strategies in a combination did not influence the reading comprehension outcome, suggesting that teaching too many strategies could increase cognitive load, making it difficult for struggling readers to apply them effectively.

These findings can help educators design more effective reading interventions by focusing on optimal strategy combinations and incorporating background knowledge instruction to enhance comprehension for struggling readers.

Note: SUCRA = the surface under the cumulative ranking curve scores, which indicates how likely an intervention strategy would be evaluated as the most efficacious (the worst 0% to the best 100%).