Data and code associated with the publication: A best-evidence synthesis and meta-analysis on effective reading programs in Spanish

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of Spanish reading programs in grades K-6. The research designs included were experimental and quasi-experimental. Effect sizes were analyzed using a multivariate meta-regression model with robust variance estimation (Hedges et al., 2010). To assess the degree of heterogeneity in the effect sizes, a 95% prediction interval was calculated (Borenstein et al., 2017). A total of 11 studies and 51 effect sizes met the inclusion criteria. The full meta-regression model controlling for grade level and outcome type showed a large positive effect across all studies (effect size = 0.49, p < 0.05), with a large, positive effect on reading outcomes, and significant impacts on phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension in K-2. Results suggest that effective instructional programs for K-6 Spanish reading exist. However, there is a need for more rigorous research on reading instructional programs for Spanish-speaking children. (2024-10)