Progress in a primary-grade reading program was determined for 106 first-born, second-grade students at the end of the school year. Previous data available for this sample included Thomas-Chase-Birch temperament ratings, family intactness and socioeconomic status at age four, and Metropolitan Readiness Test scores at age six. The value of these…

A Piagetian framework is provided for understanding patterns of cognitive growth and their relation to early reading achievement among kindergarten children. Reference is made to relevant research, including recent Piagetian interpretations of prereading, language, and logical thinking. Instructional strategies are offered to guide kindergarten…

Concern about typical early identification procedures used with kindergarten children to predict potential reading failure is expressed in this paper. A diagnostic procedure for screening kindergarten children and then prescribing an individualized program for each child is described. The screening battery--Prediction with Diagnostic Qualities…

In order to achieve literacy, children must have mastered the decoding and encoding processes of the language of instruction. Usually this has been accomplished long before the child enters school. However, if the child's language is atypical for any reason, such as cultural or linguistic factors, then the acquisition of literacy requires a…

Two experiments were conducted with children to determine the units of word perception used in recognizing isolated words. In the first experiment, kindergarten children practiced visually discriminating whole words (big, pig, dig), single letters (b, p, d), or geometric forms (triangle, circle, square) before learning to read three words (big,…

In learning the skills of reading and writing, it seems most probable that the child has to become aware of certain aspects of spoken language which he has not previously perceived. Although the child is capable of saying and hearing words and can easily tell them apart from other words, to spell them phonically he must understand the concept of…

This paper presents the initial efforts in the development of the Prediction with Diagnostic Qualities (PDQ) instrument. The contents include: "Evidence Relating to Correlational Items," which discusses the concepts of correlation, statistical significance, and the more commonly used criteria or tests used for prediction and…

The language experience approach to teaching beginning reading uses a child's own language and experiences as the basis for the first reading material or lessons. The approach integrates the language arts skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The steps suggested for a teacher to follow in utilizing this approach are: (1) oral…

A study examined the role of phonics instruction in beginning reading and culminated in a report which has been published as a book entitled "Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print." The study centered around the debate over whether phonics instruction promotes or impedes development of the attitudes and abilities required…

Project Solid Start was designed to test the hypothesis that a carefully structured, integrated, and intensive program reinforcing the regular first grade curriculum in all aspects of the language arts would significantly reduce the numbers of children experiencing delay, difficulty, and failure in the acquisition of reading and writing skills.…

This study examined the relationship between reading ability and attitude toward reading of 81 undergraduate education students enrolled in either elementary or secondary reading methods courses. Subjects' scores on the Mikulecky Behavioral Reading Attitude Measure indicated a positive attitude toward reading, but subjects' scores on the…

An attempt to build on oral language programs--such as the language experience approach--by adding a written language component and a phonics component, to make transition to reading more meaningful and reading skill development more systematic, was undertaken in the study described here. The program, called DIREKT, was conducted by two…

Introducing Preschool Children to Reading through Parent Involvement is a project funded by a New York State Education Department mini-grant. The major activity of the project is to inform parents of preschool children of the research findings and theories concerning reading to young children. Three newsletters are mailed each year to families…

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 paper proposes a Piagetian model for an early childhood science education program which provides opportunities for children to learn logical thinking and to prepare them for reading and writing. Discussed are suggestions for science areas of concentration, abilities to consider, substructure levels, cognitive thinking skills, and schemes. A…