Project Details
FUNDING AGENCY
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Grant #R305A240016
RESEARCH TEAM MEMBERS
Deborah K. Reed, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)
Therese Pigott, Ph.D. (Co-Principal Investigator, Georgia State University)
Huibin Zhang, Ph.D., Anna S. Gibbs, Ph.D., (Co-Investigators, Tennessee Reading Research Center)
PURPOSE
There is conflicting information about whether or not K-5 students who do not participate in a summer reading program lose reading ability over the summer. Similarly, the evidence is mixed about the benefits of participating in summer reading interventions. Therefore, this study has two aims.
- Aim 1: Meta-analyze the literature on the pre-to-post-summer change in students’ reading performance, known as the “summer learning effect,” to determine whether students gain, lose, or maintain their abilities when not in school.
- Aim 2: Meta-analyze the literature on the effectiveness of summer reading interventions to determine whether or not they help students improve their abilities and, if so, who benefits and in what kinds of programs.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
The research team will conduct a careful search for all published and unpublished studies relating to each aim. Studies identified will be carefully screened for inclusion. The information from those that meet the criteria will be used to describe the characteristics of the studies and to calculate the size of the summer effect (Aim 1) or of the program effectiveness (Aim 2). The research team also will examine moderators of the effects for each aim.
PRODUCTS
The goal of this project is to inform summer learning policies and school practices. The research team hopes it will establish appropriate expectations and inform efforts to support students’ literacy in out-of-school times.
TIMELINE
- July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025: Search for studies and begin screening them
- July 1 2025 = June 30, 2026: Conclude search and screening of studies; develop manual for coding included studies
- July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027: Code included studies
- July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028: Calculate effect sizes for both aims and share results