The effects of within class grouping on reading achievement:A meta-analytic synthesis

Kelly Puzio & Glenn Colby

Vanderbilt University

Overview of presentation

Brief introduction to grouping

Survey results suggest that teacher use of grouping in reading may be declining

Previous reviews have neglected reading outcomes

Research methods and results

Discuss trends and gaps in research

Organizing Students

School

Tracking or Special Programs

Academic tracks

Gifted Courses or Classes

Special Education

Between-class grouping

Joplin Plan

Cross-age peer tutoring

Classroom

Peer Tutoring

Same age peer tutoring

Within-class grouping

Guided Reading (literacy level)

Book Clubs (interest)

Cooperative Learning

Literature Circle

Grouping: how should learning be organized?

Why group students for reading?

Academic diversity: students have wide variety of literacy levels and interests

Learning is an interactive and social activity (Vygotsky, 1978)

Increased discourse: students may engage in more discourse (listening, explaining, negotiating, etc.), which may stir learning and mental development

Student motivation may be affected by a regular display of skills and knowledge

Small groups can provide an opportunity for differentiated instruction

80% of teachers report grouping (Austin & Morrison, 1963; Weinstein, 1976).

56% of teachers report grouping students, but only 25% said this was the primary way for organizing reading instruction (Baumann, Hoffman, Duffy-Hester, and Moon Ro, 2000).

60% of teachers reported regularly grouping students (Chorzempa and Graham, 2006).

Percent of Teachers using grouping

Within-class grouping may be on the decline in reading instruction

Teacher Surveys

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 20100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Within-class grouping studies in Previous Reviews

0

20

40

60

80

100

Total Studies

Reading Studies

“There is not enough research on within-class ability grouping in reading to permit any conclusions” (Slavin, 1990, p. 320).

Current Study: Primary Research Questions

1. To what extent does within-class grouping impact student achievement in reading?

2. For which grade(s) or which students is within-class grouping most or least beneficial?

3. Do any moderators, especially measurement source, teacher development, and grouping type, help explain this effect?

Systematic Review

Guided by the Campbell Collaboration, a systematic review must have:  Clear inclusion/exclusion criteria An explicit search strategy Systematic Search for unpublished reports Systematic coding and analysis of included studies

Meta-analysis (if possible)

Inclusion Criteria

Date: Study published in or after 1980

Subjects: Grades 2 – 12 in regular classroom settings

Design: Quasi-experimental or Experimental

Intervention: Grouping as central intervention or key component of wider intervention (CIRC, CORI). No peer tutoring interventions.

Outcome: The assessments must require students to “read” and show evidence of comprehension of extended text – no studies were admitted if they assessed only vocabulary, grammar, or punctuation.

Searching and screening studies

Search Source

Search Results

C2 SPECTR 186

CSA:ERICIBBSPsycARTICLESPsycINFO

3058

7 Prior Reviews

1396

Proquest Digital Dissertations

199

Total 4839

Stage 1: Abstracts screened: 4839 1590

Stage 2: Abstracts carefully read: 1590 233

Stage 3: Study reports examined: 233 75

Stage 4: Full Coding: 75 15

Most studies were excluded for two reasons: 1. No reading outcomes

2. No comparison group

Study Coding & Statistical Procedures

Coding: Every study was coded on 51 predetermined items: sample, research design, intervention, measurement, and effect size statistics

Effect Size Adjustments: Pretest, clustering, small sample size correction (Hedges’ g)

Main Effects Analysis: Random effects statistical model

Publication Bias Analysis: Duvall & Tweedie’s trim and fill procedure; Egger’s regression intercept test

Inter-rater reliability was compared on 5 studies that were separately coded (Kappa = 0.86; Pearson’s r = 0.98). Disagreements were discussed and resolved to consensus

(Lipsey & Wilson, 2000)

Results: Included Studies

15 Unique Studies; 28 study cohorts*

Total Sample: 5,410 study participants

Interventions: CIRC , CORI, Cooperative Learning, STAD, QAR, Collaborative Strategic Reading

Grade: Grade 2-6 (13); Grade 7 – 10 (2)

Outcome Measures: Standardized (11) Researcher (4)

Intervention instructor: (14) Classroom teacher; (1) Researcher

Professional Development: (4) < 10 hours; (6) > 10 hours; 5 NA

Length: (3) < 10 weeks; (4) 10 to 20 weeks; (8) > 20 weeks

Effects of within-class grouping on reading

Back to the research questions

1.000.800.600.400.200.00-0.20-0.40

Hedges G

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Fre

qu

en

cy

Mean = 0.2227Std. Dev. = 0.2164N = 28

Q1: To what extent does within class grouping impact reading achievement? Mean Weighted ES = 0.22. (0.08 < μ < 0.349).

Q2 & Q3: Are there any significant moderators of effects? This question could not be answered with this data (Q = 9.91; I Square = 0.00).

Practical Significance of Effects

Is +0.22 big or small?

Cohen’s social science index: 0.2, 0.5, or 0.8

22 effects used standardized measures – mean ES = 0.29 6 effects used researcher measures – mean ES = 0.07

Normative yearly reading growth on standardized assessments (Hill, Bloom, Black, & Lipsey, 2008) Grade 2-3 = 0.60 Grade 3-4 = 0.36 Grade 4-5 = 0.40 Grade 5-6 = 0.32 Grade 6-7 = 0.23

About half a year’s growth

Research Trends and gaps

Fidelity of implementation was not assessed in any study

Although computer and internet based reading is a diverse and growing field, no quasi-experimental or experimental studies met our inclusion criteria

Although English Language Learner (ELL) reading is a growing field, only a few studies have investigated the effects of within-class grouping on ELL reading achievement

Discussion & Limitations

The data suggest that within class grouping is beneficial for reading

The majority of included studies used cooperative groups; focused searches for guided reading, interest-based groups, and other grouping types is underway now

Peer tutoring studies were excluded in this synthesis but these could be included in a larger study

If you know of any other studies that have examined the impact of grouping on reading, please let us know

The End