A 20 Year Guided Reading Research Synthesis: Examining Student Data

Abstract

ABSTRACT Guided reading is a teaching practice many teachers utilize to provide differentiated reading instruction to small groups of learners. During guided reading, students read instructional leveled texts with teacher support. This research synthesis examines student-centered outcomes resulting from guided reading instruction over 20 years spanning from 2000 to 2020. The research question posed was: What peer-reviewed research on guided reading has been conducted with K-12 students from 2000 to 2020? The authors utilized four inclusion criteria points and a conceptual definition of guided reading as filters to identify 11 studies from a pool of 295 potential articles. An overview of the selected studies highlights their varied design and focus. Through an iterative analytic approach, the authors identified three conceptual areas of focus across the studies: (a) guided reading as an instructional practice versus another instructional practice, (b) student 190 performance in guided reading, and (c) student engagement, motivation, attitudes, and perceptions.