Considering roles of executive functions in the science of reading: A meta-analysis highlighting promises and challenges of reading-specific executive functions

Abstract

Theoretical perspectives within disciplinary fields are often characterized by initially dichotomous frameworks that become more integrative over time. Indeed, popular discourse on the Science of Reading emphasizes dichotomous contributions of word reading and language comprehension to reading. Yet, these skill sets are inherently complex, interact, and must be coordinated by readers. Contemporary models of reading are more integrative, appealing to executive functions (EFs) to explain readers’ handling of complexity, but are similarly limited by dichotomous conceptions of EFs as separate from reading processes. We critique these dominant perspectives and urge a shift toward integrative conceptions of executive control within reading, aligned with work in other fields. As part of this critique, we conducted a meta-analysis of EF intervention effects on reading (31 studies, 109 comparisons) in 2,010 first through eighth-grade students; findings suggested that targeting reading-specific EFs significantly improves reading and confirms prior null effects of domain-general EF interventions on reading. Consideration of EFs’ roles in the science of reading may be particularly important for addressing individual differences in reading and optimizing opportunities for reading achievement for all students. Future challenges for educational psychologists will be to determine domain-specific ways executive control occurs within reading, and ultimately, develop tasks and interventions to improve reading-specific EF processes for students who need such support.