This review found that all students, including those with no history of receiving reading instruction and those who were non-speaking, learned to read a prescribed set of words. None of the included studies evaluated the effects of sight word instruction on broader literacy outcomes.
"Analyses of intervention features across methodologically rigorous studies provided evidence in support of a massed trials approach to sight word instruction featuring student response to a succession of items, systematic prompting, differential positive reinforcement, and use of visual supports (e.g., pictures, concrete objects)" (p. 1420). "There was [also] sufficient evidence to identify the use of least intrusive prompting, adult-directed intervention, and modifying task characteristics as promising elements of sight word instruction" (p. 1420).
