A Meta-Analysis of the Long-Term Effects of Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, and Reading Comprehension Interventions

Which beliefs it touches

• C12 Systematic phonics sets a limit on it

  Reading interventions with follow-ups (mean 11 months): phonics interventions' weighted effect fell from 0.29 at posttest to 0.07 at follow-up (reading skills 0.26 → 0.07), more than other intervention types, but the weighted figure leans on two large studies of typical readers, controls had ordinary teaching, and most at-risk phonics groups kept positive effects. Held as open question 25 (2026-11-09), not a narrowing.