A Literature Review of Morphological Awareness Interventions and the Effects on Literacy Outcomes

Abstract

Ten morphological awareness intervention studies, conducted in English with students in kindergarten through 12th grade between 2008 and 2020, were synthesized in this article. Research in the studies focused on the effects of morphological awareness intervention on literacy outcomes of students who struggle with reading and writing—including students with disabilities. The 10 studies included a total of 411 participants ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. All 10 studies used an experimental pre/post-test design to determine growth in morphological awareness as well as assessed areas in word identification, spelling, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and written composition. The assessments across the studies varied and included standardized and nonstandardized measures. Effect sizes for standardized measures ranged from 0.0 to 0.97. Effect sizes for nonstandardized measures ranged from −0.03 to 2.96. Results indicate that morphological instruction, including short-term interventions, is beneficial to students at risk of future reading difficulties.