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The review synthesizes (quasi-)experimental research from 1970–2020, covering 7,493 students across 47 studies, using a three-level meta-analytic model. Results show a statistically significant overall effect (Hedges’ g = .08), with stronger benefits for word recognition (g = .21) and reading attitudes (g = .18) but essentially no effect for comprehension (g = −.014).",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/building-a-stronger-case-for-independent-reading-at-school/590254/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/building-a-stronger-case-for-independent-reading-at-school/590254.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Adam","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What outcomes does the meta-analysis examine for independent reading in schools?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It evaluates effects on three measures: attitudes toward reading, word recognition, and comprehension.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How large is the evidence base included in the meta-analysis?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The analysis includes 7,493 students across 47 (quasi-)experimental studies conducted between 1970 and 2020.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which outcome shows the strongest and weakest effects?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Word recognition and reading attitudes show stronger effects, while comprehension shows an approximately zero effect size.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},590254,1792167433,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},1374404737137,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","AERA Open  \nJanuary-December 2024, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 1–17 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584241267843  \nArticle reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2024. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero)  \nBuilding a Stronger Case for Independent Reading at School  \nAdriana G. Bus  \nUniversity of Stavanger  \nELTE Eötvös Loránd University  \nYi Shang  \nKathleen Roskos  \nJohn Carroll University  \nThe effectiveness of incorporating independent reading practice in schools has long been a subject of uncertainty. To shed light on this ongoing debate, this meta-analysis seeks to investigate the impact of in-school independent reading on three crucial measures—attitudes toward reading, word recognition, and comprehension—focusing on K–10 students. The analysis encompasses (quasi-)experimental studies conducted between 1970 and 2020, examining a total of 7,493 students across 47 studies. Because most studies contain more than one outcome measure or effect size, we used a meta-analytic model with a three-level structure. The findings reveal a statistically significant overall effect size (Hedges’ g = . 08). Specifically, the effect sizes are more pronounced when considering word recognition (i.e., word attack, word identification, decoding, and fluency; Hedges’ g = .21) and students’ reading attitude (Hedges’ g = . 18) as outcome measures. However, the effect size for comprehension—the most commonly assessed outcome measure—was approximately zero (Hedges’g = −.014).  \nKeywords: independent reading, three-level meta-analytic model, word recognition, reading attitudes, text comprehension, primary and secondary education  \nIndependent reading as a form of reading practice in schools gained recognition in the early 1970s and has been known by various terms such as free voluntary reading, independent silent reading, supported independent reading, sustained silent reading, uninterrupted sustained silent reading, and drop everything and read (DEAR), among others. Ongoing discussions have centered on the importance of integrating independent reading into the school curriculum during instructional hours. Advocates for IR strongly advocate for its inclusion, underlining the necessity for IR by proposing that a portion of each school day, typically around 15 minutes, should be devoted to what some have termed free voluntary reading (e.g., Krashen, 2004). By “free,“ they refer to independent reading that entails minimal accountability, without the requirement for book reports or strict limitations on reading materials. The objective is to cultivate an environment that motivates students to engage in reading  \nactivities while at school, reflecting how they typically interact with reading outside the classroom.  \nDebates Surrounding IR  \nOne topic in debates surrounding IR (see, e.g., Pennington, 2011) is the control over students’ reading activities. Proponents of IR typically advocate for providing students with access to a classroom library and encouraging them to read self-selected materials, eschewing tests or other mechanisms such as leveled books (e.g., Fielding et al., 1986; Krashen, 2004; Morrow, 1983) . Their argument is that this approach fosters reading engagement and complements regular reading instruction. However, many educators argue against unrestricted IR, believing that guided or restricted practices, such as offering tutorial support or limiting book choices, may lead to better outcomes (e.g., Gambrell, 2007;  \nCreative Commons CC BY: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License  \n([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further  \npermission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us","cbCairkOBhVeoUrV","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairkOBhVeoUrV","pdf",604618,17,"English","# Building a Stronger Case for Independent Reading at School\n# Debates Surrounding IR\n# Rationales for IR","[{\"question\":\"What outcomes does the meta-analysis examine for independent reading in schools?\",\"answer\":\"It evaluates effects on three measures: attitudes toward reading, word recognition, and comprehension.\"},{\"question\":\"How large is the evidence base included in the meta-analysis?\",\"answer\":\"The analysis includes 7,493 students across 47 (quasi-)experimental studies conducted between 1970 and 2020.\"},{\"question\":\"Which outcome shows the strongest and weakest effects?\",\"answer\":\"Word recognition and reading attitudes show stronger effects, while comprehension shows an approximately zero effect size.\"}]","Building a Stronger Case for Independent Reading at School | PDF",1792069179,43]