In Turkey, the Ministry of National Education (MONE) changed the reading instruction method in elementary schools from whole language approach to phonics emphasis in 2005. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of phonics method on reading acquisition in a Turkish sample; to understand what elementary school teachers…

This report describes a pilot study conducted to evaluate the instructional effectiveness of the Steck-Vaughn Phonics Program: Level A-Units 3 and 4 and Level B-Units 2 and 3. The Educational Research Institute of America (ERIA) identified volunteer teachers to participate, designed the assessments, and analyzed the collected data. Because the…

Word boxes and word sorts are two word study phonics approaches that involve teaching phonemic awareness, making letter-sound associations, and teaching spelling through the use of well-established behavioral principles. The current study examines the effectiveness of word boxes and word sorts. Findings revealed that word boxes and word sort…

Half of a group of 32 reading-disabled second and third graders deficient in phonemic segmentation skills received specific skill training. Trained children were successful at significantly improving their performance on the phonemic segmentation task in contrast to controls who made no improvement. (Author/DB)

The comparative efficacy of overcorrection, phonic analysis, or a no-intervention control condition on the number of oral reading errors made by three moderately mentally retarded children (ages 9, 10, and 12). Phonic analysis proved to be more effective than over-correction which was also more effective than no intervention. (Author/DB)

Phonics instruction alone cannot fully develop students' ability to comprehend a text or story. Reading instruction should emphasize students interaction with print, compensating for lower level skills with higher level skills, and gaining meaning and knowledge throughout the process. Too often, teachers give minimal attention to the development…

A study investigated the usefulness of six different but related phonics rules used to pronounce words. The phonics rules examined are: (1) When two vowels are adjacent, the long sound of the first vowel is pronounced and the second is not; (2) When two vowels are separated by one or more consonants and one of the vowels is a final e, the long…

Many articles exist dealing with reading instruction and the current debate between phonics and whole language reading programs. A review of the literature indicates that most journal articles are in favor of teaching phonics along with other methods. There are many different opinions about whether phonics helps students learn to read, if it is a…

Noting that the role of phonics in reading and writing has become as much a political issue as it has an educational one, this pamphlet offers a position statement regarding the role of phonics in a total reading program. It begins with three assertions regarding phonics and the teaching of reading: (1) the teaching of phonics is an important…

The teaching of phonics, the relationship of sounds to letters in an alphabetic language like English, is important for success in learning to read competently. Noting that there continues to be much debate as to what constitutes good phonics instruction, this paper presents a rather simple but basically sound and inexpensive approach for teaching…

One approach in the teaching of reading that is criticized a lot is the round robin procedure in which the teacher, generally in a heterogeneously grouped classroom, forms three reading subgroups for instruction purposes. Each of the groups is as homogenous as possible. The teacher teaches one subgroup, while the other two are profitably engaged…

Reprints an exemplary article published in this journal in 1955, which points out that phonics is only one part of a total reading program. Emphasizes the fact that meaning for the reader must be the essential part of all reading instruction. (SR)

Reports on the authors' revisiting of the reading process using proficient adult readers (advanced graduate students in a school of education) as their informants. Begins with a brief overview of the current debate concerning the nature of reading and explains how they went about investigating the issue. Discusses what they learned from their…

Presents a case study of a developmental college freshman that shows a dramatic change in spelling over the course of several weeks after completing self-instruction materials on phonics. Concludes that this case gives hope for adults with poor spelling habits and solicits suggestions from college instructors who work with students having similar…

Discusses research on early reading as it relates to the phonics versus "look and say" controversy. Considers the courses of action available to parents and teachers which take the findings into account. (RJC)