A nonrandomized quasi-experimental, mixed-method double pretest-posttest design was used to compare the effects of a multilinguistic word study model of instruction -- RAVE-O program (Wolf, Miller, & Donnelly, 2000) -- in comparison with a phonics word study model of instruction -- Fountas and Pinnell Phonics Lessons -- Letters, words, and how…

The ability to flexibly approach the pronunciation of unknown words, or set "for variability", has been shown to contribute to word recognition skills. However, this is the first study that has attempted to teach students strategies for increasing their set for variability. Beginning readers (N = 15) were instructed to correct oral…

Scope and method of study: The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of an (IMSE) Orton-Gillingham based multi-sensory instructional reading program when incorporated with kindergarten through first grade classroom reading instruction in one rural Midwestern school district. The IMSE supplemental reading program is…

Several decades of research have established the critical role of phonemic awareness in the development of beginning reading. In particular, phonemic awareness makes early phonics instruction useful for children and facilitates their ability to blend letter sounds while decoding words, to learn sight words reliably, and to spell phonetically. A…

"Project Read"[R] is a multisensory language arts curriculum designed for use in a classroom or group setting. Two main objectives of the program are to use language in all its forms, and to use responsive instruction rather than preplanned textbook lessons. The program emphasizes direct instruction, and lessons move from letter-sounds…

Sight word learning and memory were studied to clarify how early during development readers process visual letter patterns that are not dictated by phonology, and whether their word learning is influenced by the legality of letter patterns. Forty kindergartners and first graders were taught to read 12 words containing either single consonants…

Uses exploratory data analysis to examine changes in individual reading and spelling patterns during first grade. Notes that subjects received 45 minutes of daily letter-sound instruction. Finds that spelling and reading responses progressed from nonphonetic, to phonetic, to correct. Finds also that those slow to improve in phoneme deletion were…

Comparison of 80 beginning first graders, half receiving phonics instruction and half receiving whole word instruction, found, for both groups, those above grade level in reading excelled in phonological recoding and application of grapheme-phoneme correspondence rules while those below grade level applied visual-orthographic knowledge more than…

This study compared the effectiveness of reading instruction at the onset-rime level, phoneme level, and whole word level with 48 first graders. Both phoneme and onset-rime groups were significantly more accurate than whole word groups, and there was a tendency for the onset-rime group to outperform all other groups. (Author/DB)

Trains 94 first graders using a structured phonological reading method emphasizing English phonology and phoneme/grapheme correspondence. Compares to a control group who received a whole-language-plus-phonics approach. Notes that children in all groups improved their phonological awareness by the same amount. Concludes that phonological awareness…

The Discrepancy Hypothesis posits that children early in the acquisition process read visually (holistically) and spell phonologically. This claim was examined and rejected. We investigated reading and spelling in Grade 1 and Grade 2 children using controlled non-word and word materials with a variety of orthographic patterns. While reading and…

Describes first-grade children who completed a battery of tasks that included standardized measures of word recognition and spelling, measures of phonological and orthographic processing skills, and a short indicator of exposure to print via home literacy experiences. Finds that phonological and orthographic processing skills are separable…

A follow-up at the end of first grade examined effects of teaching five kindergarten teachers in general and special education classes to stimulate phonological manipulation skills such as blending and segmenting. For children with learning disabilities and mild mental retardation (but not for nondisabled children) the treatment continued to show…