Shows that illustrations of even the most seemingly common objects may not be recognized by children and that nonrecognition may defeat the purpose of materials, such as dictionaries, which are designed for independent work. Bibliography. (RW)

A review of research on phonics, concluding that phonics instruction should be minimal. (DD)

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…

This study's aim was to understand the relationship of the component skills of reading, such as word recognition, vocabulary, and spelling, to large-scale measures of literacy, such as the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) (Kirsch, Jungleblut, Jenkins, & Kolstad, 1993) and the closely related International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)…

Arguing that following some simple concepts can drastically reduce the rate of illiteracy, this booklet maintains that the extent of the literacy problem is teacher-induced and can be reversed by the systematic teaching of the phonics of the English language. The booklet argues that students in grades 1-3 are just beginning to learn how to read…

The research reported here was designed to examine a number of factors that findings from verbal learning studies indicate should affect the recall and transfer of word identification materials. Sight word and phonics-based or rule-based learning were investigated in 112 kindergarteners who were identified as nonreaders. Groups were trained on…

The strategies used by children in word recognition are examined. A critical review of some of the classical research which has influenced current thinking about how words are recognized is presented along with a discussion of some of the errors which can be found in these studies. A five-stage model of how beginning readers learn to recognize…

The transfer phenomena observed in adults do not universally generalize to the pre-reader and training in phonic blending is necessary in order for phonic-letter training to yield positive transfer to a word-reading task. (RB)

The relationship between word synthesis and beginning reading achievement is tested. A stable direct relationship is evidenced between the two, regardless of the child's reading strategy. (JMF)

Phonics and other word analysis activities need to be placed in perspective. An effective approach is for readers first to read the whole text, then participate in teacher-directed and learner-independent word analysis, and then return to reading words in a holistic context to establish comprehension. (SK)

Multi-level hierarchical linear modeling was used to compare growth curves for children receiving instruction aimed at single orthographic-phonological connections. Growth rate on phonics probes was significantly faster for the group receiving multiple-connections treatment. Urges school psychologists to recommend multiple strategies for helping…

Two experiments investigated naming performance for items with and without digraphs. Both experiments compared performance for Regular Consistent, Regular Inconsistent and Exception words. Experiment 1 also compared nonwords with Non-Existent Bodies to those with existing Consistent and Inconsistent Bodies. Naming was slower for nonwords…

The authors define phonics as a system for encoding speech sounds into written symbols and for teaching learners to use the relationship between letters and sounds to recognize words. The origin of the term "explicit, systematic phonics" is traced historically through studies and reviews of phonics instruction and policy documents. Results from a…

This study examined young children's growth, over time, in phonics knowledge, word-recognition, and fluent oral reading. Correlations and causal relationships among these variables were explored in an attempt to identify the foundational knowledge and skills needed for reading fluency. Measures of phonics knowledge, word-recognition development,…