A Meta-Analysis of Reading Interventions for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Students identified with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD) often exhibit behavioral challenges that negatively affect their academic performance. One of their weaker areas of academic achievement lies in reading. Although numerous research on interventions to improve their reading outcomes has been conducted, some students continue to lag behind. The use of instructional practices not supported by strong empirical evidence may deter students’ reading outcomes from improving. To address the reading performance gap, educators are encouraged to use evidence-based practices (EBP) supported by strong empirical research. Meta analyses play an important role in identifying and disseminating EBP. This meta-analysis evaluated reading intervention studies (n  = 27) for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) using the Between Case Hedges’ g effect size. A random effects meta-analysis of 27 studies indicated that, overall, reading interventions increased reading outcomes of students with EBD by a large margin [ g  = .747, SE  = .102, CI (0.547, 0.947), p  < .05]. A meta-regression analysis consisting of six moderators resulted in statistically significant effects of study design, intervention agent, and type of dependent variable. Implications of study findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.