On Combining Apples and Oranges: A Response to Stahl and Miller

Abstract

In responding to Stahl and Miller’s article, “Whole Language and Language Experience Approaches” ( Review of Educational Research, Spring 1989), we argue that Stahl and Miller misrepresented concepts related to emergent literacy and inadequately defined whole language. We further argue that whole language approaches of the 1980s and language experience approaches of the 1960s and 1970s are not equivalent. Therefore, results of studies showing a superiority of basal approaches over language experience approaches cannot be used to make inferences about a superiority of basal approaches over current whole language approaches as Stahl and Miller do in their discussion. Finally, the studies included in Stahl and Miller's meta-analysis have insufficient information about the nature of instruction to draw the conclusion (as Stahl and Miller do) that there is a need for a more systematic approach to decoding than whole language provides.