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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Direct instruction

Overview

  • Influence: Direct instruction
  • Domain: Teaching Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Instructional strategies
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to considerably accelerate
  • Influence Definition: Direct instruction refers to instructional approaches that are structured, sequenced, and led by teachers. Direct instruction requires teachers to: have clear learning intentions and success criteria, building a commitment and engagement among the students in the learning task; use modeling and checking for understanding in their teaching; and engage in guided practice so that every student can demonstrate his or her grasp of new learning by working through an activity or exercise under the teacher's direct supervision.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 8
  • Number of studies: 3,052
  • Number of students: 520,905
  • Number of effects: 10,392
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.56
  • Robustness index: 5

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Education and Treatment of children White A meta-analysis of the effects of direct instruction in special education.  1988 DI in special education 25 NA 24 0.83
Educational Achievement Systems Adams & Engelmann Research on Direct Instruction: 20 Years Beyond DISTAR 1996 DI on reading 37 NA 372 0.75
Review of Educational Research Borman, Hewes, Overman, & Brown Comprehensive School Reform and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis 2003 DI from Comprehensive schools reforms 232 42,618 182 0.21
NASSP Bulletin Haas Teaching methods for secondary algebra: a meta-analysis of findings 2005 DI in algebra 10 NA 19 0.55
Review of Educational Research Stockard, Wood, & Coughlin The effectiveness of direct instruction curricula: A meta-analysis of a half century of research. 2018 DI 328 NA 3,999 0.54
National Institute for Direct Instruction Coughlin Research on the Effectiveness of Direct Instruction Programs: an updated metaanalysis. 2011 DI 20 NA 95 0.66
English Language Teaching Alsowat Evidence-Based Practices of English Language Teaching: A Meta-Analysis of Meta-Analyses 2020 Explicit instruction on ELL 2,361 478,287 5,662 0.59
Perspectives on Behavior Science Mason & Otero Just How Effective is Direct Instruction? 2021 DI 39 NA 39 0.79
TOTAL/AVERAGE 3,052 520,905 10,392 0.62
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