Researching the efficacy of a reading intervention: An object lesson

Abstract

Conducting classroom-based educational research trials is important for establishing the efficacy and effectiveness of specific instructional interventions. Such endeavours, however, are challenging to implement. This was made evident during a recent independent evaluation of the efficacy of the MiniLit program, wherein various difficulties emerged relating to the dosage and fidelity of instruction, and the measures and analyses employed by the research team. As such, this served as an object lesson in what can, and frequently does, go wrong in even the best planned intervention research enterprises conducted in schools. The present article is intended to capture the authors’ experiences in implementing research trials in school contexts, with specific examples drawn from the independent evaluation of MiniLit. In particular, this study has reinforced the need to select assessment measures carefully, according to how well they represent targeted skills in the specific population of interest. In addition, it has highlighted the importance of planning program efficacy trials such that participants can receive enough exposure of the intervention to progress to a realistic extent.

Keywords::

• literacy
• reading
• primary school
• MiniLit
• intervention

Financial support

The independent evaluation of MiniLit described in this article was generously funded by a grant from Social Ventures Australia — Evidence for Learning. The New South Wales Department of Education were also partners in the project and we thank them for their participation.

Conflicts of interest

The authors hereby declare a financial interest in the outcomes of this study. Wheldall and Wheldall are directors of MultiLit Pty Ltd in which they have a financial interest. They receive a benefit from the activities of the company and the sale of its programs and products, including the program which is the subject of this article. All other authors are employed by MultiLit Pty Ltd in the MultiLit Research Unit. MultiLit Pty Ltd did not receive any funds from the funders or partners in the course of the independent MiniLit evaluation. MultiLit is a research initiative of Macquarie University.