Rethink Reading: Is Independent Reading Really Working?

Ever get that email from your principal asking for research to justify silent reading time? That’s what happened to a reThink ELA teacher and she sent that request directly to my inbox. Her request was just one line — but it unveiled a deeper issue: Are we really getting the most out of independent reading, or are we just ticking a box?

The teacher’s email got me thinking about all of the years I struggled to help students improve their reading comprehension and motivation. Research and opinions on reading are all over the place — sometimes it's hard even for me to sort through all the information!

But that email actually made me smile. 

I've been deeply immersed in student literacy for 15 years, and I've spent a significant amount of time building a robust database of research specifically to address questions like this, as well as to refine my own classroom practices. I knew immediately where to go to find solid, evidence-based support. I pulled from my existing resources and instantly thought of a particularly compelling piece: a meta-analysis from 2024 that directly addresses the effectiveness of independent reading. Not only is this a recent (and therefore more relevant) study, but the researchers analyzed studies conducted between 1970 and 2020. That’s 50 years of research!

This study was important because during those decades, a lot of individual studies have provided conflicting or inconclusive results. Some of the research says independent reading is great, some says it's just okay, and some says it doesn't make much difference. In this 2024 meta-analysis, researchers take all those different studies on independent reading and analyze their data as one big set of information.

So, instead of just relying on one or two studies that might have small groups of students or specific conditions, a meta-analysis looks at many studies with lots of different students and situations. This gives us a more reliable and powerful answer to our question: "Does independent reading really work?" It's a way to see the big picture of what the research says as a whole.

Here is the meta-analysis if you want to look at the methodology or the references yourself:

Bus, A. G., Shang, Y., & Roskos, K. (2024). Building a Stronger Case for Independent Reading at School. AERA Open, 10, 23328584241267843. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241267843 

Effectiveness of Independent Reading in Schools

This study looked at how independent reading in schools affects students from kindergarten to 10th grade in three areas: how they feel about reading, how well they recognize words, and how well they understand what they read. The researchers analyzed 47 different studies that included almost 7,500 students. They found an overall effect, meaning independent reading *does* make a difference, statistically speaking.

• Overall, independent reading shows a small positive impact. In other words, I can say it helps a bit.
• The impact is more noticeable for helping kids recognize words and for making them feel more positive about reading. This is where we see a clearer benefit.
• Interestingly, when it comes to whether students actually *understand* what they're reading (comprehension), the study found almost no effect from independent reading alone.

Debates Surrounding Independent Reading 

When teachers talk about independent reading (IR), a big question comes up: How much should we let students choose what they read, versus how much should we guide them? Some teachers really believe in letting students pick any books they want. They think it makes reading more fun and keeps kids interested. Other teachers worry that students won't learn as much unless we give them more help and structure.

Rationales for Implementing Independent Reading 

The primary goal of IR is to enhance reading volume and foster a love for reading among students. Research indicates that increased reading volume is crucial for literacy development and overall reading proficiency.

• Reading volume is a fundamental principle of effective literacy learning strategies.
• Studies show that novice readers who engage in extensive reading demonstrate notable advancements in literacy skills.
• The OECD's PISA 2022 report highlights a decline in reading performance, emphasizing the need for in-school activities that promote intrinsic interest in reading. 

Effects of Independent Reading on Literacy Development

Studies included in this analysis show that independent reading is helpful for improving how well students recognize words and how they feel about reading. However, it's less clear how much it helps them understand what they read.
It's also important to note these findings:

• Studies have found that language arts programs that include IR often do better than those without it.
• Schools with libraries that have at least 500 books tend to have students who read more and read better.
• Some studies suggest that IR makes students feel more in control of their learning and more interested in reading.

Conclusion on the Impact of Independent Reading 

The findings support the inclusion of IR in reading pedagogy, highlighting its benefits for word recognition and reading attitudes, while comprehension effects were less pronounced.

• Overall effect size indicates IR contributes positively to reading proficiency, albeit modestly.
• Independent reading enhances students' enjoyment of reading, potentially leading to increased voluntary reading outside of school.
• The study emphasizes the importance of integrating IR into the curriculum as a complementary practice to traditional reading instruction.

I would add that implementing an “independent” reading program with more structure, including intentional collaboration among peers and student-centered comprehension building activities would make the in-school reading time more effective — and engaging for the students.

But what does this structure, this “intentional collaboration” look like? What does research show actually improves student reading comprehension — either alone or in conjunction with an independent reading program?

Fortunately, Sohn et al. (2023) conducted a meta-analysis on studies (published between 1982 and 2021) of several different reading comprehension strategies, which the authors categorized as metacognitive, multicomponent, and other. You can read it here:

Sohn, H., Acosta, K., Brownell, M. T., Gage, N. A., Tompson, E., & Pudvah, C. (2023). A Meta‐Analysis of Interventions to Improve Reading Comprehension Outcomes for Adolescents with Reading Difficulties. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 38(2), 85–103. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12307

The categories of strategies the authors studied include:

• Metacognitive strategies are those that teach students a specific skill to comprehend a text or to be aware of and monitor their own thinking and strategy use while reading.
• Multicomponent strategies support reading comprehension by using a combination of explicit phonics or fluency instruction, vocabulary instruction, explicit instruction in text structures, and development of students’ background knowledge.
• Other strategies include interventions that focus solely on teaching students explicit phonics instruction, peer-mediated instruction, or computer-adapted instruction.

The authors found that metacognitive strategies had substantially larger effects on reading comprehension than other strategies, while multicomponent strategies were significantly less effective than other strategies. 

While Sohn et al. (2023) specifically highlighted the use of mnemonic devices and self-monitoring checklists as examples of metacognitive strategies based on the included studies, broader research indicates several other effective metacognitive strategies for improving reading comprehension in adolescents. These include:

• Activating Prior Knowledge: Encouraging students to think about what they already know about a topic before reading helps them make connections with the text and improves understanding.
• Setting a Purpose for Reading: Guiding students to establish a reason for reading (e.g., to answer a question, to learn new information) focuses their attention and comprehension efforts.
• Planning and Predicting: Before reading, students can preview the text features (headings, subheadings, images) and make predictions about the content. This activates their thinking and helps them anticipate what they will read.
• Monitoring Comprehension: Teaching students to be aware of their understanding as they read and to identify when comprehension breaks down is crucial. Strategies include pausing to check understanding, asking themselves questions, and summarizing small sections.
• Using Fix-Up Strategies: When comprehension falters, effective readers use strategies to address the issue. These can include rereading, looking up unfamiliar words, using context clues, or asking for help.
• Asking Questions: Encouraging students to ask questions about the text during and after reading promotes active engagement and deeper understanding. This can involve generating their own questions or responding to teacher-led questions.
• Summarizing: Teaching students to identify the main ideas and restate them in their own words helps solidify understanding and improves recall.
• Visualizing and Organizing: Creating mental images or using graphic organizers (like concept maps or flowcharts) can help students understand relationships between ideas and remember information.
• Making Inferences: Explicitly teaching students how to "read between the lines" by combining information from the text with their prior knowledge to draw conclusions enhances comprehension.
• Evaluating: After reading, encouraging students to reflect on what they have learned, evaluate the author's purpose, and form their own opinions promotes critical thinking and deeper engagement with the text.
  Think-Alouds: Modeling metacognitive processes by verbalizing one's own thinking while reading can make these internal strategies visible to students.

These strategies often work best when explicitly taught and modeled by teachers, with opportunities for guided practice and independent application. And that’s where my Reading TRIIPS Independent Reading Projects curriculum comes in. It’s a structured approach to IR designed to boost student engagement and reading skills, including comprehension. It moves beyond simply giving students time to read by providing a framework of activities and resources that encourage deeper interaction with books and peer collaboration —both which lead to better reading comprehension. Here are the key components I included in the curriculum: 

• Reading TRIIPS Framework: This framework is inherently designed to promote metacognition. Each element encourages students to:
  • Tie-ins: Activate prior knowledge.
  • Predictions: Plan and predict.
  • Reactions, Inferences, Inquiries/Questions: Monitor comprehension, ask questions, make inferences.
  • Summaries: Summarize.
• Reading Autobiography Lesson: This promotes self-reflection and evaluation of personal reading habits.
• Reader Survey: This survey helps teachers understand student reading interests and provide personalized recommendations.
• Reading Challenge: Encourages students to set personal reading goals and track their progress.
• Reader's Notebook Graphic Organizers: These tools facilitate monitoring comprehension, visualizing and organizing, and summarizing.
• Structured Reading Response Graphic Organizer: Specifically prompts students to formulate questions, cite text, and respond to peers, directly hitting monitoring comprehension, asking questions, and evaluating.
• Reader's Notebook Rubric: A tool for students to self-assess their engagement with their reader's notebooks.
• Creative Alternatives to Reader's Notebook entries: Activities like book trailers or advertisements require evaluation of the text and creative summarization/representation of information.

Beyond just improving reading comprehension, here is why this curriculum is better than just giving students IR time:

In essence, this research-based curriculum transforms reading time from a potentially passive activity into an active, engaging, and social learning experience that fosters a deeper love of reading and improves a wider range of skills compared to unstructured independent reading time alone.

I designed the Reading TRIIPS curriculum to help you take your students on a journey beyond simply reading, to travel through the book and stop to really THINK ABOUT their reading, which is the essence of metacognition. I’ve built in opportunities for students to be aware of and monitor their own thinking while reading, which is exactly what those strategies are all about.