The effects of reading and language intervention on literacy skills in children in a remote community: An exploratory randomized controlled trial

Abstract

This study explored the effects of a 27-week reading and language intervention, for low-income children living in a remote Chilean community, using a randomized controlled trial. At the end of the intervention, children in the intervention group showed improvements compared to the waiting group on pre-literacy, reading, language, and reading comprehension measures (effect sizes d > 0.25). The gains in pre-literacy skills, word reading and word knowledge were maintained at 9-month delayed follow-up, though the improvements in language and reading comprehension were not. Our findings suggest that language and literacy programs can be useful for improving attainment in children living in disadvantaged and isolated communities.