A Concept of Word in Text: A Pivotal Event in Early Reading Acquisition

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine a model of early reading acquisition that hinged on a phenomenon seldom explored in beginning reading research: a child's concept of word in text. Previous research in early literacy acquisition has centered on the role phonological awareness—the ability to consciously attend to and manipulate the sound structure of spoken language—plays in early reading development. However, a small but promising line of research suggests that children's ability to match spoken words to written words while reading connected text—a concept of word in text—is a pivotal event in early reading acquisition that bridges a primitive form of phonological awareness with a more sophisticated form of phonological awareness. In this study, 56 kindergarten children were assessed on measures of beginning consonant awareness, concept of word in text, full phoneme segmentation ability, spelling ability, and word recognition ability. Analysis of the data supported the proposed model and essentially replicated a previous study (Morris, 1993). Most important, the findings of this study strongly support the notion that a child's concept of word in text plays a linchpin role in early reading acquisition. The results of this general line of work may inform early identification for children at risk of reading failure, beginning reading instruction, and future research in early literacy acquisition.