Abstract:

Research has demonstrated the special significance of morphological awareness (MA) for language and literacy abilities. However, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of MA interventions for students with or at-risk-for learning disabilities (LD) compared to other linguistic and metalinguistic skills instruction is still lacking. A meta-analysis was conducted on MA interventions from studies employing experimental designs with between-group comparisons. A total of 17 studies published between 1997 and 2025 with 1165 students from early elementary to adulthood, reporting on 35 distinct differences on each outcome variable were retrieved. Results showed that MA intervention for students with or at-risk-for LD is more effective at improving phonological awareness, reading accuracy, reading fluency, and reading comprehension than business-as-usual instruction or alternative instruction. These results are compatible with previous meta-analyses on MA intervention for typically developing and struggling students, and support the view that MA should be an integral part of LD interventions.

Keywords:

Morphological awareness, Specific learning disorder, Literacy, Language, Instruction.