A Meta-Analysis and Review of Sight Word Research and Its Implications for Teaching Functional Reading to Individuals with Moderate and Severe Disabilities

Abstract

We conducted a comprehensive review of sight word research with individuals with disabilities since 1980 with the aim of determining the overall effectiveness of sight word research and its specific impact on individuals with moderate and severe disabilities. The review also identified innovations in instructional strategies developed since prior reviews. A total of 48 studies was reviewed. Most studies were conducted with individuals with moderate mental retardation, and the overall mean IQ for research participants was 55; however, other disability groups and levels were represented. Most studies were conducted with elementary school students, but a wide age range was represented, including adults. A meta-analysis using the percentage of nonoverlapping data points (PND) revealed that sight word instruction has been highly effective across individuals for people with moderate and severe disabilities. New strategies have included giving instructive feedback for additional learning, applying constant time delay in group formats, and using more elaborate feedback procedures in a postresponse prompting format. These innovations also included teaching sight words in the context of the community and in general education classes using either heterogeneous groups or peer tutoring. A persistent limitation of sight word research is the failure to measure functional use, which requires both stimulus and response generalization. In the absence of this comprehension measure, sight word research may provide strong demonstrations of teaching students to name words, but falls short of demonstrating that students understand these words or apply them to their daily routines.