A Meta Analysis of Readers Theater

• In Event: Four Studies Adding to the Corpus of Scientifically Based Research About Reading Development and Instruction

Abstract

Readers Theater is an interpretive reading activity in which readers bring characters to life with their voices. We conducted a meta-analysis of all available experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The overall random weighted effect was d=.32, and the effect did not vary by outcome type, grade-level, research design, or publication status. The impact of Readers Theater falls within the average band of other literacy interventions, but it may be particularly effective for the upper grades and in developing students’ comprehension skills. Considerable variation in effects across covariates, which was at least partially due to small study sample sizes, however, delimit the strength of these conclusions. More rigorous, larger-scale studies are necessary before more definitive effectiveness claims can be drawn.

Author

• Jerome V. D'Agostino, The Ohio State University