The Effectiveness of Direct Instruction Curricula: A Meta-Analysis of a Half Century of Research
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
Every estimated effect of the scripted Direct Instruction programs was positive, and all were statistically significant except those for attitudes and feelings. Effects held up after the programs ended and were larger with more exposure. The authors call them moderate to large.
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
- 328 studies from 1966 to 2016, 413 study designs, almost 4,000 effects
- Who
- School-age children (K–12)
- Limits
- About the scripted Direct Instruction programs (capital D, capital I), not every lesson a teacher leads from the front.
Read it
doi.org/10.3102/0034654317751919
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Cited in the Library
Cite this study
Stockard, J., Wood, T. W., Coughlin, C., & Rasplica Khoury, C. (2018). The effectiveness of Direct Instruction curricula: A meta-analysis of a half century of research. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 479–507. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654317751919
Checked against the source in October 2026. All studies · How we rate the evidence · Something wrong? Tell us.