184 Studies, 7 Months: Reading Comprehension's Strongest Number

A pupil reads a passage fluently, then draws a blank on what it means. It's tempting to write that off as unteachable — but the EEF's evidence on reading comprehension strategies says otherwise: 184 studies, plus seven months' additional progress, the strongest figure this show's carried. We separate it clearly from phonics, work out why the security rating is only Moderate despite the strong headline, and land on the actual teaching move: model the thinking, don't just ask for the answer.

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Sources

• EEF Teaching & Learning Toolkit — Reading comprehension strategies: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/reading-comprehension-strategies
• Actions for consideration
• Next reading task: model your own comprehension strategy out loud on one paragraph before pupils attempt the same question alone.
• Stop treating "can decode but doesn't understand" as unteachable — check whether the strategy was ever explicitly modelled first.
• When a pupil gives a blank response to a comprehension question, consider reteaching the strategy rather than just marking it wrong.
• Don't conflate comprehension strategies with phonics — they're separate evidence bases addressing separate skills.
• Treat the +7 months headline with its caveat in mind — real variation sits underneath the average, so expect uneven results, not a guaranteed uplift.
• Disclosure: Both voices on this show are synthesised (NotebookLM, Google); the research, reading and editorial judgement are done by a serving practitioner.
• Strand: Teachers