Three approaches to initial reading instruction were evaluated to determine their relative effectiveness in establishing word recognition skills. Significant differences between the three groups of children were found in the posttest scores: a special alphabet approach produced highest scores; a phonetic approach, next highest; and a look-say…

This study represents a segment of an evaluation of the effects of two diametrically-opposed instructional strategies on inner-city kindergarten children who had varying preschool experiences. The child- and parent-oriented "enrichment" approach was used in one school while the teacher- and goal-oriented "direct instructional"…