Fact · Accessibility and health
0.35effect size (d)
In a 2018 meta-analysis, text-to-speech and related read-aloud tools had an average weighted effect size of 0.35 on reading comprehension for students with reading difficulties, with a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.14 to 0.56.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Random effects models yielded an average weighted effect size of ( d̄ = .35, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of .14 to .56, p <.01).”
Does Use of Text-to-Speech and Related Read-Aloud Tools Improve Reading Comprehension for Students with Reading Disabilities? A Meta-Analysis, Sarah G. Wood et al., Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2018, Abstract.
Open the original- What it measures
- The authors pooled quantitative studies of text-to-speech and related read-aloud tools for students with reading disabilities and measured reading comprehension.
- What it does not show
- An effect size of 0.35 is modest. Moderator effects of study design explain some of the variance. It measures reading comprehension, not proofreading a student's own draft.