The elephant in the phonics room: rethinking pronunciation norms in early reading instruction

Advocates of the science of reading have invoked the simple view of reading (SVR) to justify an approach that foregrounds decoding in early reading instruction. SVR describes reading comprehension as the product of decoding and listening comprehension. The current study examined the complexity of the SVR, focusing on the phonological and orthographic decoding in third-grade readers of Chinese. One hundred and forty-three students participated in this study. The measures included phonological decoding (pinyin invented spelling), orthographic decoding, listening comprehension and reading comprehension. Drawing upon regression analyses and multivariate path models, the study found that phonological decoding at both segmental and suprasegmental processing significantly predicted Chinese reading comprehension, yet a more significant effect of orthographic decoding surfaced. And the best-fitting model suggested listening comprehension was better characterized as a mediator rather than a covariance with decoding component in the decoding-reading relation when orthographic decoding was incorporated into decoding component to evaluate the validity of the SVR in Chinese. The results imply that orthographic decoding is a legitimate decoding component and that the two decoding constructs alone are insufficient for higher-level reading ability (reading comprehension) since the contribution appears to be mediated through the path route of oral language capacity (indexed by listening comprehension). This enriches the current understanding of the SVR in non-alphabetic languages and indicates that decoding training on both phonological and orthographic dimension should be highlighted in early Chinese reading instruction.

A psycholinguistic framework for reading and spelling methodology at the preliminary stage is outlined. Based on the theory of metalinguistic development (Karmiloff-Smith and Gombert), the framework involves a three-step model for early reading and spelling instruction where the instructional steps are parallel to the critical stages in metalinguistic development. The instructional sequence involves supported reading of connected text (epilinguistic control), focus on word identification and word analysis skills (metalinguistic awareness) and repeated reading of connected text (automatisation). By striking a balance between focus on meaning and focus on skill, a practical and theoretical possibility of bridging the embarrassing gap between whole language and phonics teaching is demonstrated. Examples are given showing that elements proposed in the framework can be identified in instructional programmes which have been shown to be effective in well-designed evaluation studies.

Purpose Children with autism have an increased likelihood of reading difficulties. The reasons for this are numerous and varied, but many children with autism can learn to read when they are provided with evidence-based early reading instruction. Method Here, we provide an overview of some of the factors that impact early reading development for children with autism and a rationale for the provision of comprehensive early reading instruction consistent with the recommendations of the National Reading Panel (NRP). We discuss research on NRP instruction for children with autism, including some of our own empirical studies. We also discuss some areas of research that were not emphasized by the NRP but that we view as important. We offer recommendations that extend beyond NRP guidelines in order to advance knowledge and improve practice. Conclusions Comprehensive early reading instruction holds great promise for children with autism, but there are gaps in our understanding that need to be addressed. These include the most effective method(s) for tailoring reading instruction to the needs of the individual while optimizing delivery to small groups of children, supporting skills and making other accommodations not outlined by the NRP, and consideration of bilingualism and of reading instruction in languages other than English, among other issues. While our focus in this review article is early reading instruction for children with autism who use oral language, we acknowledge that there is a major gap in the literature concerning reading instruction for those who do not use oral language. We hope that this review article will be helpful to clinicians, educators, and researchers alike, as well as children with autism and their families, friends, and support networks.

This study examines English teachers’ perceptions of the importance of essential components and early grade reading instruction: Ethiopian context. To this end, the researchers chose a descriptive research design of quantitative-qualitative approaches. Twenty (20) randomly selected primary schools were the sources of data; 125 primary school English teachers of Hawassa City Administration filled in a questionnaire. Among the twenty schools, two were selected randomly and interviews were conducted with six English teachers of grades one to three (1-3). The quantitative data analysis was done by using software for data analysis (SPSS Version 25.0), descriptive statistics. The data gathered through semi-structured interview were analyzed descriptively in words. The results have shown that participant teachers were not practicing the strategies appropriate for literacy instruction although they have positive perceptions of importance of the critical components of early grade reading instruction. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that teacher preparation programs should reconsider the level of emphasis placed on early grade reading instruction, and practice focused trainings should be given to Ethiopian lower grades English teachers on early grade reading instruction and assessment.

Much attention has been given to the impact of cooperative teachers on the pedagogical behaviour of student teachers. In many cases, however, cooperating teachers gain as much from the student teacher as the student teacher acquires from them. This study was designed to elicit answers to the following two questions: (1) What are the perspectives of early childhood cooperating teachers regarding early reading instruction in the Jordanian context? and (2) Does the perspectives of early childhood cooperating teachers engaging in early reading instruction change as a result of working with student teachers? The study targeted a sample of 25 cooperating teachers and 28 student teachers who participated in the study by completing a questionnaire, and follow-up interviews were also conducted with 13 cooperating teachers. Results of this study indicate that cooperating teachers endorse the phonics method more than the whole language (WL) approach. Unlike past research, the results of this study revealed that (1) the student teaching experience had no effect on the perspective of cooperating teachers regarding early reading instruction and (b) the perspectives of cooperating teachers do not become similar to those of their student teachers who were WL-oriented. The results have implications for early childhood teacher education programmes and professional development for kindergarten teachers.

This paper aims to present a holistic approach to special education in Sweden, focusing on early reading instruction and its compatibility with inclusive strategies at school. Special education is an interdisciplinary field comprising subjective and objective aspects of the individual and the environment. Particularly relevant in early reading instruction is the interaction of psychological and biological prerequisites in the environment’s individual, social, and physical characteristics. A case description is included to illustrate the complexity of special educational needs in relation to increased freedom of choice and inclusive strategies at school.

ABSTRACTUniversity websites and internet search engines were used to locate information about literacy units addressing early reading instruction offered in Australian primary and early childhood teacher preparation programs. Data concerning course organizational details, the content of literacy units, and the qualifications and research interests of unit coordinators were collected for 40 Australian tertiary institutions. Results indicate that references to early reading content in unit descriptions were generally included with other literacy subject matter, the total tuition time available for early reading instruction was limited, and many unit coordinators did not have expertise in early reading. In addition, it would appear that essential research-based content such as phonics, phonemic awareness, and the alphabetic principle may not be adequately addressed in many units. An amendment to Standard 2.5 of the guidelines set out in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers may assist in resolving some of these issues.

A major conclusion from research regarding children with poor reading performance is that early, systematic instruction in phonological awareness and phonics improves early reading and spelling skills and results in a reduction of the number of students who read below grade level. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and knowledge of presevice and inservice educators about early reading instruction. The results indicated that these educators expressed positive attitudes toward explicit and implicit code instruction, with inservice educators more positive about explicit code instruction than preservice educators and preservice educators more positive about implicit code instruction. Preservice and inservice educators demonstrated limited knowledge of phonological awareness or terminology related to language structure and phonics. Additionally, they perceived themselves as only somewhat prepared to teach early reading to struggling readers. These findings indicate a continuing mismatch between what educators believe and know and what convergent research supports as effective early reading instruction for children at risk for reading difficulties. Implications support continuing efforts to inform and reform teacher education.

This paper reports the results of a study examining the role of early reading instruction on the nonword reading strategies employed by beginning readers. Three groups of children given different styles of reading instruction were asked to read a list of nonwords presented (a) in isolation and (b) using the clue word technique (Goswami, 1986, 1988). The three groups of children were following either (i) the Early Reading Research project (small units instruction), (ii) the National Literacy Project (instruction emphasising onset‐rime and rhyme awareness), or (iii) usual classroom practice (combined large and small units instruction). Children given small units instruction (Early Reading Research) were found to make significant use of grapheme‐phoneme correspondences (GPCs) and were more accurate than the other two groups of children at reading the nonword items. The National Literacy Project children demonstrated a preference for a rime‐based strategy, once familiarity with the analogous words was controlled, and made significantly more use of this strategy than the Early Reading Research children. The results suggest that early reading instruction does have a significant impact on early reading strategies and should be taken into account in future studies of this type.

This article investigates the ways in which alphabetic print concepts govern a sense of natural and appropriate early reading development, and juxtaposes the concepts found in early literacy curriculum and assessment with hypertextual elements found in new forms of texts written for children. Using a theoretical approach that combines poststructural theories of power and knowledge with sociocultural theories of literacy, the analysis challenges traditional alphabetic print literacy as a political and historical sign of the times, and reframes educational reasoning about ‘appropriate’ early reading instruction in terms of new technologies, changing texts, and sociocultural forms of literacies.

This study aimed to develop a lesson study-based micro-teaching design for prospective elementary school teachers in early reading instruction. This study utilized an instructional development method from Dick and Carey, comprising seven stages of research procedure. Data were collected through questionnaires, field notes, and documentation, and analyzed using descriptive quantitative and qualitative methods. In this study, a product successfully developed a lesson study-based micro-teaching design presented in video tutorials for teaching early reading in elementary school. The result shows that development of this micro- teaching design was successfully implemented and served as a guide for early reading instruction in the Indonesian Language Learning in elementary school course. Micro-teaching was developed as tutorial stages for early reading instruction, based on a process approach encompassing pre-reading phase, reading phase, and post-reading phase, combined with a lesson study approach for collaborative and reflective teaching practices.

Recent consensus documents are reviewed to define research-based practices in early reading instruction. Examples of professional development that incorporates research-based practices are provided, with particular reference to the Texas Reading Initiative and the authors' research project in Houston and in Washington, DC. Data relating gains in teacher knowledge, ratings of teaching effectiveness, and student achievement are presented. Conditions essential to sustaining and scaling research-based reading instruction are discussed and major obstacles identified.

Reading is the most legislated area of education, and there is no aspect of reading instruction that is more often debated, discussed, or disagreed upon than early reading instruction. This chapter traces legislative changes that track the development of policies that both set and limit what counts as good or appropriate instruction in U.S. public schools. This analysis illuminates how dueling perspectives on early literacy learning have aligned and realigned with other political interests, social movements, and legislative agendas. The artifacts and commentary presented provide a bird’s-eye view of an often-baffling, but highly publicized debate in order to create a historical and analytic perspective on current and future iterations of persistent questions about who becomes literate in U.S. public schools.KeywordsCurriculumEarly literacyDevelopmentally appropriate practicePhonicsInstruction

This paper reports research on the initial teacher training and continuing professional development of teachers in six African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda). The focus of the research was on the teaching of early reading and mathematics. The curriculum of both these areas was analysed in terms of (i) implementation by providers such as Colleges of Education, and (ii) impact in schools. The study found that there were many and deep gaps in the curriculum taught and consequently in teacher knowledge and skills in these two crucial subject areas. The paper sets out a series of recommendations for addressing this problem including an overall alternative approach to teacher education that emerges from the research findings as a whole.

Objective: This study aims to test the effectiveness of implementing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based educational game in improving early reading skills among elementary school students. Novelty: The integration of AI-based educational games in early reading instruction is a relatively new approach in the context of elementary education in Indonesia, offering adaptive and interactive learning experiences tailored to students' needs. Methods: The study employed an experimental method with a pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 60 first-grade students from Taruna Mandiri Elementary School, Tangerang, were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group and a control group, each consisting of 30 students. The experimental group used AI-based educational games during reading instruction, while the control group used conventional teaching methods. The instrument used was an early reading ability test covering letter recognition, syllables, and simple word reading. Results: Data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in posttest scores between the two groups. Students in the experimental group showed a markedly greater improvement in early reading skills compared to those in the control group. Conclusion: The use of AI-based educational games is proven to be effective in enhancing early reading abilities in elementary school students.