Exploring the impact of personalized and adaptive learning technologies on reading literacy: A global meta-analysis

Fostering proficient reading literacy among students has long been a central educational pursuit, considering that it is one of the most cognitively demanding skills to acquire. Technology that tailors learning experiences to fit students’ strengths and needs (i.e., personalized and adaptive learning; PAL) can be more effective than the traditional curricular approaches. However, the literature on PAL effectiveness presents an inconclusive assessment of its impact on student reading achievement, and a global synthesis has not been conducted. This meta-analysis sought to assess the degree for differences in effect estimates, and to explore reasons for the differences across a wider range of populations and interventions. Twenty-seven studies were reviewed and an effect size of g = 0.29 was found. Implications for future policy and practice are presented.