World of Words produced a large, statistically significant effect on taught-word sorting performance (effect size 0.94) in a two-site Head Start study¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr?·q3·i3large
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i3 In the Neuman & Dwyer (2011) study, children receiving World of Words scored significantly higher than comparison children on the World of Words Sorting task - not taught words (effect size 0.94, improvement index +33, p < 0.01). → sorting-task
Evidence¶
sorting-task¶
What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. (2023, August). World of Words. https://whatworks.ed.gov
q3 · i3 · causal · r?
Cluster quasi-experimental study (meets WWC standards with reservations) of 178 children in 12 classrooms across 2 Head Start preschool sites, assessed at the end of 16 weeks. Intervention mean was "7.46 (1.11)" versus comparison "6.34 (1.22)", with printed effect size 0.94 and improvement index +33.
"End of 16 weeks of implementation 178 children 2 preschool sites in the United States 7.46 (1.11) 6.34 (1.22) 0.94 +33 Yes (p < 0.01)"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- World of Words produced a statistically significant medium effect on a comprehension composite measure (effect size 0.54) after 12 weeks — related
- World of Words produced a statistically significant medium-to-large effect on a researcher-developed vocabulary inductive reasoning test (effect size 0.66) — related
- World of Words has positive effects on the language outcome domain for prekindergarten children, with an average effect size of 0.43 across four studies — a broader claim this one bears on
- World of Words showed no statistically significant effects on the Woodcock-Johnson Picture Vocabulary Subtest or the PPVT-IV — related
- World of Words produced a statistically significant medium effect on expressive vocabulary (Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, 4th Edition; effect size 0.43) in a scaled-up 12-site study — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
world-of-words-sorting-task-large-effect |
title |
World of Words produced a large, statistically significant effect on taught-word sorting performance (effect size 0.94) in a two-site Head Start study |
description |
World of Words produced a large, statistically significant effect on taught-word sorting performance (effect size 0.94) in a two-site Head Start study |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2023 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-07 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — sorting-task |
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