A Meta-Analysis of Phonemic Awareness Instruction Provided to Children Suspected of Having a Reading Disability

We checked this card's citation and the finding we state against the source's own page or record in October 2026.

What it found

For children suspected of having a reading disability, phonemic awareness instruction had medium effects on overall and segmenting outcomes and smaller effects on blending, first-sound identification and deletion. Effects were strongest in kindergarten and first grade but positive for older children too. More hours didn't predict bigger gains, and the authors say letters should be part of the instruction.

Effect size, as the source reports it: g = 0.511 composite; g = 0.571 segmentation; g = 0.341 blending; g = 0.248 deletion.

What kind of study it is

Design

Meta-analysis

Weight

A synthesis: it pools or weighs many studies, so it carries the most weight on the evidence meter.

Sample

138 studies of children suspected of having a reading disability

Who

School-age children (K–12)

Read it

doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00160

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Cited in the Library

• Phonemic awareness instruction