Mapping the Field of Effective Teaching and Interventions for Children With Reading Difficulties: A Systematic Tertiary Review, Qualitative Meta‐Synthesis, and National Survey

ABSTRACT This paper maps the field of teaching and interventions for children with reading difficulties through a systematic tertiary review, qualitative meta‐synthesis, and a national survey. The study has two main aims: (1) to provide an up‐to‐date review of systematic reviews and longitudinal experimental trials of effective interventions for children with reading difficulties; and (2) to report the findings from a national survey that addressed approaches to teaching children with reading difficulties in England. The synthesis of systematic reviews and longitudinal trials indicates that multicomponent interventions show promise in improving outcomes for children with reading difficulties. Reflections are offered on specific components with evidence of effectiveness, which may inform the design of future multicomponent trials. A main finding from the national survey responses was that even if the synthetic phonics approach was not working, some teachers and teaching assistants continued with the approach. Other teachers adopted different approaches including multiple‐component interventions. Some survey respondents perceived that England's policy on synthetic phonics was resulting in tensions with the aim of motivating children to read. It is argued that reading motivation, and the nature of texts used in instruction, require greater attention as components of effective interventions. The paper concludes with some recommendations for components to be included in new interventions, some future directions for research, and reflections on curriculum policies for the teaching of reading.