The Science Behind Reading Eggs: Why It Works

If you're a parent or homeschooler looking for a proven, fun way to help your child learn to read, Reading Eggs is the answer. The evidence-based reading program is designed to help children aged 2–13 build and improve their reading skills in a highly engaging and motivating way. In this article, we'll explore the science behind Reading Eggs and how it can be optimised for your child's personalised learning.

Is Reading Eggs evidence-based? Yes, it is! 

The science of reading is based on the five pillars of reading instruction and teaching reading in a systematic and clear way. Research on reading has consistently shown that this is the best way to develop strong, fluent readers. 

Reading Eggs is backed by evidence and is based on solid scientific research. This multi-award winning online program, created by educational experts, focuses on the five components of reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Effective instructional strategies that target these components are the key to helping children solidify their reading skills and become successful readers. 

Reading Eggs uses explicit instruction to target these components and help children learn to read. Explicit instruction means children need to learn new concepts in clear and direct ways. Systematic instruction means concepts are taught in a specific order, with each lesson building on the previous one. Reading Eggs prides itself on the fun, sequential lessons that help children learn to read effectively.  

The program is made up of a wide variety of elements, based on research literature. The Reading Eggs Scientific Research Base incorporates this research into every component of the program, including lesson structure, the instructional framework, types of activities and even the motivational and reward elements. 

8 ways Reading Eggs incorporates best-practice reading research 

1. Phonemic awareness

This teaches children to hear and identify individual sounds (phonemes) in words. They also learn that words can rhyme or be broken into syllables. The Reading Eggs program involves useful pre-cursor skills for learning how to read, such as listening for phonemes, playing with sounds and breaking words into parts. 

2. Phonics

Regular, systematic training in phonics skills is a crucial component of achieving early reading success. Reading Eggs incorporates individualised instructional lessons that explicitly target phonics. To reinforce these skills, the program offers a variety of engaging activities that are specifically designed to motivate learners. 

3. Fluency

Reading Eggs encourages fluent reading through modelling and repeated readings of texts. With a library of over 3500 levelled books, readers of any level can access suitable reading materials, to improve fluency and comprehension. It's also crucial for fluency and comprehension to recognise an increasing number of sight words and the program has many activities to practise this skill.

4. Vocabulary

Studies have shown a positive correlation between a larger vocabulary size and better reading comprehension. Reading Eggs builds children’s reading vocabulary with hundreds of fun activities, books and self-paced lessons.   

5. Comprehension

Being able to understand the meaning of text is a fundamental objective of reading. The Reading Eggs program helps children to develop comprehension skills by providing interactive and engaging activities that build vocabulary, reading fluency and the ability to infer meaning from text. The library books end with a quiz, which requires reading comprehension. 

6. Matching children with suitable reading materials

Research suggests that to promote reading success, it's important to provide young readers with texts that closely match their ability. This helps them perceive reading as a positive experience and ensures they have sufficient working memory to comprehend a wide range of reading material. Reading Eggs' helpful placement test determines where kids should begin learning.

Reading Eggs' expert-backed lessons are fun and motivating to keep children learning. Free trial 

7. Parental involvement

This is another factor that improves learning outcomes for children and long-term achievements. Reading Eggs involves parents in their child’s learning and offers ongoing feedback about their little one’s progress. Progress reports in the Family Dashboard make it simple to keep up to date with kids’ accomplishments or areas they need to improve on.  

 8. Enjoyment of learning

When children find learning fun and engaging, it boosts their motivation and academic performance. This leads to more time spent on task. Reading Eggs uses a variety of rewards and incentives to keep children focused and motivated while building their reading skills. The program combines these essential elements to create an immersive learning experience that is both engaging and child-friendly.

4 studies that support Reading Eggs’ effectiveness 

Several studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of Reading Eggs with incredibly positive results. Here’s why you can feel confident your child will benefit from this multi-award winning program:  

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  Latisha D. Lowery (2017): This action research study highlighted the potential of Reading Eggs as a valuable tool for improving reading proficiency. The study explored the efficacy of Reading Eggs as a supplement to teacher-delivered intervention on primary reading growth. The study included two Year 2 classes and used data from weekly Reading Eggs' progress reports and scores from The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 1 to measure effectiveness. The results showed that the Reading Eggs' programme was effective in improving reading proficiency scores, as there was a decrease in the percentage of below-grade students in the treatment group, while the control group remained the same. 

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  Smith (2020): The effectiveness of the Reading Eggs' mobile app was studied in a South African remedial school. The study used a mixed methods approach and a case study strategy. Teachers participated in the study via data collection which included an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The study found that the participants had positive perceptions and attitudes towards using technology in education and viewed mobile devices as a vital tool to support learners' phonological awareness. 

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  Henderson-Faranda (2022): This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of using computer-assisted instruction with Reading Eggspress to improve the reading comprehension of autistic children. The study used a pre and post-test design with a group of children who received 12 weeks of CAI (computer-assisted interventions). The results showed that the intervention led to significant improvements in the participants' reading comprehension scores. 

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  Ysgol Iau Hen Golwyn, a junior school in Wales, measured the excellent results achieved in reading after their students adopted the Reading Eggs programme. They found that using the multi-award winning programme had a positive impact on the reading development of students. In one academic year, students from Years' 3 and 4 using the programme for 30 minutes per week, increased their average reading age by seven months and 10 months, respectively. The study also found that the programme had a positive impact on standardised scores, with 85% of students in Year 4 and 77% of students in Year 6 showing progress in their reading scores. These results suggest that the use of Reading Eggs can be an effective way to support the reading development of primary school students. 

Key learning strategies used by Reading Eggs 

The science behind Reading Eggs means the program employs several strategies to help children learn to read. One of these is early intervention for struggling readers. By offering a reading program for children as young as two, parents can see how their child is learning and where they struggle. The program also allows older children, up to 13 and even beyond, who may be struggling, to learn and revise at their own speed.  

The program uses structured, systematic phonics to help children learn to read efficiently and effectively. Fast Phonics, a program within Reading Eggs, also helps children to learn and practise crucial synthetic phonics skills. 

These programs ensure children improve their skills by creating an individualised program for them. They can work at a pace that suits them before moving on to the next lesson. This only happens once they have fully understood the previous lesson. This approach ensures that children have a solid foundation before moving on to more advanced concepts. 

Fast Phonics is available within Reading Eggs. The science behind this reading programme ensures kids learn synthetic phonics in a systematic and effective way. Free Trial

Fun educational lessons, activities, games and rewards are used to keep children motivated to learn and continue building their literacy skills. Reading Eggs also uses decodable texts from the in-program library to ensure that children comprehend what they're reading. The library and Reading Journal encourage reading, which expands vocabulary skills and builds reading confidence. 

Reading Eggs also accommodates different learning styles and is constantly updating its program based on the latest research. As a parent, you can be assured your child will benefit from the research and care that has been put into creating a program that has over 20 million successful users. 

Studies: 

Lowery, Latisha D. Effects of Reading Eggs on reading proficiency levels. Diss. University of South Carolina, 2017.  

Smith, Tayla. Using Reading Eggs as a mobile device application to teach Foundation Phase phonological awareness in a remedial school. Diss. University of Johannesburg. 

Natalia R. Henderson-Faranda, Jayne Newbury & Dean Sutherland (2022) Using Computer Assisted Instruction to Improve Reading Comprehension of Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Pilot Study, Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, 27:1, 135-167.