Getting a Read on Ready To Learn Media: A Meta‐analytic Review of Effects on Literacy

Most U.S. preschoolers have consumed media created with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Ready To Learn (RTL) initiative, which was established to promote school readiness among children ages 2–8. Synthesizing data from 45 evaluations (N = 24,624 unique child participants), this...

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Published inChild development Vol. 90; no. 5; pp. 1754 - 1771
Main Author Hurwitz, Lisa B.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Wiley-Blackwell 01.09.2019
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects
Academic readiness
Accountability
Child
Child, Preschool
Children
Children & youth
Education authorities
Government Programs
Humans
Information Technology
Learning
Literacy
Literacy Education
Literacy skills
Mass Media
Meta-analysis
Phonological Awareness
Preschool Children
Program Evaluation
Reading
Reading Skills
School Readiness
Systematic review
Television
Television viewing
Vocabulary
Vocabulary Development
United States > US
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Summary:Most U.S. preschoolers have consumed media created with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Ready To Learn (RTL) initiative, which was established to promote school readiness among children ages 2–8. Synthesizing data from 45 evaluations (N = 24,624 unique child participants), this meta‐analysis examined the effects of RTL media exposure on young children's literacy skills. Results indicate positive effects of RTL media exposure on children's literacy outcomes, especially vocabulary and phonological concepts. These effects are equivalent to about one‐and‐a‐half months of literacy learning above and beyond typical growth. Findings are robust across a variety of research designs and for exposure to both television and new media. These results are discussed in terms of accountability evidence for RTL and larger debates in scholarly understanding of educational media effects.
Bibliography:Lisa B. Hurwitz is now at the Center on Media and Child Health, Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital.
The author conceived the idea for and conducted this research study independently without any financial incentives or support from the U.S. Department of Education or any RTL grant recipient. However, she previously held internship and entry‐level positions for companies receiving RTL funding.
The author gives special thanks to Daniel J. O'Keefe for his mentorship and feedback and also thanks Barbara Lovitts and all the current and former RTL evaluators who provided unpublished reports and other data to complete this project. Additional thanks to Francesca Pietrantonio and Dashia Kwok for their reliability coding and to Jacob Schauer for his technical assistance. Furthermore, the authors is very appreciative of the feedback Ellen Wartella, Alexis R. Lauricella, Kelly L. Schmitt, Leanne Beaudoin‐Ryan, Fashina Aladé, Kelly J. Sheehan, and Drew P. Cingel provided on drafts of this manuscript.
Article updated on February 23, 2018, after first online publication on February 19, 2018: The title of the article was updated to rectify a typographical error.
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ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/cdev.13043