Jean Piaget's theory seems to lend support to reading specialists who believe that concrete operational thought constitutes a necessary and sufficient condition for learning to read. Preoperational children cannot deal with the complex relationships inherent in reading because they are tied perceptually to the immediate situation or…

This booklet contains transcripts of two radio programs on the teaching of reading that were coproduced by the National Public Radio and the Institute for Educational Leadership of the George Washington University. The first transcript emphasizes the child's readiness and motivation in learning to read and provides an overview of children's…

As part of a series of publications reporting the promising practices gleaned from pre-elementary Right to Read Read programs, this manual is designed as an easy reference source through which parents can help their young children develop the skills necessary to read. While the manual is designed for use by parents, the activities discussed can…

One of the nonschool factors influencing children's reading ability is the home environment. Data from recent research point out four factors that promote child readiness for reading in the home: (1) availability and range of printed materials in the home; (2) reading is done in the home; (3) home facilitates contact with paper and pencil; (4)…

Explores how children become oriented to literacy and how their perceptions of the purpose of print develop as they move toward becoming more fluent users of print. (DF)

Reviews a study designed to determine whether some of the problems of poor readers are related to inadequately developed story schemata or the inability to use schemata. Discusses the need for teaching strategies to enhance children's knowledge of story structure. (RBW)

A recent analysis of Even Start, the federal family literacy program, has concluded that the relative emphasis in many local programs has shifted too far toward background issues of family functioning and too far away from focused efforts to enhance literacy skills (Haslam, 1998). In keeping with this analysis, the time seems to be right for a…

The article reviews cognitive psychology's contributions to understanding the development of reading skills. Key concepts are phonological and linguistic awareness, schemata, learning strategies, metacognition, and learning as a social interaction. (Author/DB)

This research review concludes that precocious reading ability is a complex skill, and levels of specific subskills vary widely among individuals. Precocious reading ability is moderately associated with general intelligence and with academic achievement. Parents may encourage the early development of reading through natural and mutually enjoyable…

Provides a model of the domains of preliteracy development that contains four components: an orthographic, phonological, meaning, and context processor. The relationship of subskills to prereading activities and later reading is discussed. Developmental progressions for various preliteracy skills are identified, and methods of assessing…

This research synthesis identifies areas of convergence in reading research regarding the importance, dimensions, and effects of phonological awareness on the reading acquisition process. It also highlights similarities and differences between normal achievers and diverse learners. The following five areas of research convergence are identified:…

This article reviews research on training phonological awareness in kindergarten and first grade children and describes research-based intervention and assessment activities applicable to classroom and clinical settings. Intervention applications described include categorization activities, phoneme segmentation, and metalinguistic games. (DB)

The development of certain cognitive skills to a certain level may be necessary to acquire beginning reading skills. A review of research on cognitive skill development and beginning reading revealed that only a few studies investigated the need for ascertaining the presence of some cognitive processing abilities before reading instruction is…

In recent years, the focus on reading instruction has turned to the primary grade levels. Debates over phonics, whole language, and balanced literacy approaches occur among researchers, educators, and parents. Using a balanced approach in the classroom has received the most support from teachers and researchers, according to five related articles…

Cites articles and research suggesting that the ability to learn to read is inherent within any normal child and recommends that teachers use strategies and materials relevant to the child rather than a prestructured reading program. (MM)