The Production-oriented Approach (POA) is an emerging language teaching method tailored to the characteristics of Chinese learners, but the existing experimental studies have yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, this study employs a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess the overall effectiveness of POA on students' English language skills, and the potential moderators that influence its effectiveness. The present study searched six databases and two academic websites to find existing experimental studies of POA intervention for students' English language skills. After screening, 22 studies involving 28 unique experiment research outcomes with 2230 students were finally included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results confirmed that the effectiveness of POA in improving students' English language skills (g = 0.70, 95% CI [0.55, 0.85], p < 0.001) was significant. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression analysis revealed that the type of English language skills, duration, and teaching format can influence the practical application of POA. Future research should consider the potential influence of POA on psychological factors during the learning process, and encourage linguists and teachers in EFL teaching environments similar to China to apply POA in English language education.