The controversy over the effectiveness of various emphases in the teaching of reading--phonetic, look-say, decoding, electic-- is unlikely to end. This article, which analyzes reactions to an important 1967 book, provides a useful summary of the reading debate today. (Author)

Concludes that intensive phonics teaching produces greater beginning reading achievement than do reading programs that deemphasize phonics teaching. (FL)

Concludes that monosyllabic words are easier for beginning readers to read than are polysyllabic words and that children just learning to read should be taught phonics skills with monosyllabic words. (RB)

Reviews research findings that suggest the importance of systematic phonics instruction in beginning reading. Cites arguments against phonics teaching and indicates that they appear unsupportable since they are incompatible with research findings and since they make unwarrantedly negative accusations about the kind of teaching that must be used in…

Examines four recent criticisms of the ideas of Kenneth Goodman on reading and on the use of oral reading for diagnostic purposes. (TJ)

Surveys how children develop their powers of word identification, and questions common assumptions about the utility of sight words. (TO)

Reports a study of the conditions under which a monosyllabic word contained in a larger word can be used as an aid in pronunciation and identification of the word. (TO)

Concludes that, while art activities can be defended as a way of adding variety or diversion in the teaching of reading, the proposition that they have a direct and positive influence on children's learning to read cannot be supported. (GT)

Reports the findings of a survey of the prevalence of negative beliefs about the usefulness of phonics among directors of university reading clinics. (JM)

Suggests that teachers of reading would be in error to suppose that the displacement of regular methods of reading instruction in their classes by music activities will produce exceptional gains in skills. (Author/RB)

Analysis of similar shapes for high-frequency words does not verify the hypothesis that shape provides a useful learning cue for teaching word recognition. (RB)

Groff argues against an IRA (International Reading Association) position statement assertion that no single method is the best for teaching reading, claiming that the phonics method results in the greatest reading achievement. The IRA Board of Directors replies that the position statement appropriately reflects the diverse views about reading held…

Finds that auditory discrimination as most tests measure it has little to do with how well children learn to read. (RB)

Discusses whether or not beginning readers learn phonics best through instructional approaches that teach students to sound out letters, spell words, or combine the two. Concludes that caution is in order as experimental research assessing the effectiveness of each approach has yet to be conducted. Suggests, in the interim, instruction should be…