2010/12/04 by Roel van Steensel, Nele McElvany, Jeanne Kurvers +1 · 181 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Child Development and Digital Technology #Comprehension #Computer science #Developmental psychology #Family literacy #Literacy #Mathematics education #Moderation #Parental Involvement in Education #Pedagogy #Psychology #Reading and Literacy Development #Sample (material) #Social psychology
paper · open access · doi:10.3102/0034654310388819
published in Review of Educational Research 81(1), 69-96 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2010/12/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
This meta-analysis examines the effects of family literacy programs on children’s literacy development. It analyzes the results of 30 recent effect studies (1990–2010), covering 47 samples, and distinguishes between effects in two domains: comprehension-related skills and code-related skills. A small but significant mean effect emerged ( d = 0.18). There was only a minor difference between comprehension- and code-related effect measures ( d = 0.22 vs. d = 0.17). Moderator analyses revealed no statistically significant effects of the program, sample, and study characteristics inferred from the reviewed publications. The results highlight the need for further research into how programs are carried out by parents and children, how program activities are incorporated into existing family literacy practices, and how program contents are transferred to parents.