A Meta-Analysis on Vocabulary Intervention Effectiveness for Children With Disabilities or Who Were at Risk

• In Event: Teaching Reading and Writing to Students With Special Abilities

Abstract

This meta-analysis systematically reviewed 28 peer-reviewed studies on vocabulary intervention, particularly for young children with disabilities or who are at risk. Data sources include ERIC, ProQuest, PsychInfo and Google Scholar from 2007 to 2017. The result showed that the interventions were effective in improving these children’s vocabulary (g=0.69). Also, based on moderator analysis, there were not significant differences among the participants with different types of disabilities or risks. There needs more evidence to demonstrate the efficiency of interventions in accelerating the vocabulary development of children with disabilities or who were at risk in order to narrow the gap between them and their typically developing peers. Furthermore, the regression discontinuity design (RDD) might be feasible to explore this issue.

Authors

• Lingyun (Elune) Shi, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Ye Wang, Teachers College, Columbia University