Two recent articles from authors in Britain have attempted to show that the evidence in favour of systematic phonics in initial literacy instruction is weak; here, their arguments are disputed. Bowers ('Reconsidering the evidence that systematic phonics is more effective than alternative methods of reading instruction', "Educational…

Ten years after publication of two reviews of the evidence on phonics, a number of British policy initiatives have firmly embedded phonics in the curriculum for early reading development. However, uncertainty about the most effective approaches to teaching reading remains. A definitive trial comparing different approaches was recommended in 2006,…

The teaching of reading has been a source of contentious debate for many years. Margaret Meek Spencer contributed her passion for the importance of specific texts to help children learn to read. In addition to the kinds of texts to be used, important aspects of the debate include the relationship between national curriculum policies and robust…

This article reviews Margaret Meek Spencer's body of work in relation to the various policies that she critiqued from the Bullock Report in 1974 to the National Literacy Strategy in 2004. She analysed increasingly conservative moves to promote a dominant, elitist version of school literacy. A Critical Realist perspective aligns with Margaret Meek…

This article explores why policy makers in England and Scotland responded so differently to the Clackmannanshire study on synthetic phonics. It suggests that a deeper understanding of the national and local policy contexts can explain Scotland's response. Analysis of the wider context of the Clackmannanshire initiative supports Moss and Huxford's…

This paper reports a small-scale study of wider reading at Key Stage 3 in current English classrooms in secondary schools in the south of England. Six English teachers, three of whom were relatively new to teaching, were interviewed on what they thought about wider reading. The findings indicate that because of a lack of time and absence of demand…

Describes pilot research that informed the early stages of development of the Catch Up Programme, a literacy intervention designed for children who are behind with reading at the start of Year 3 (7- to 8-year-olds). Finds a considerable increase in pupils' reading ages across a 10-week period. Finds similar results in another small study. (RS)

This book presents 5 working papers which were produced in the course of a study undertaken in 1991 to obtain information on how the 92 universities, polytechnics and colleges in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland which offer initial teacher training courses prepare students to teach reading in primary and secondary schools. The five papers are:…

Reports a study of the patterns of responses of 34 American and 28 British teachers of reading to 24 statements about reading instruction. The study is seen as beginning research on how teacher attitudes toward curriculum and approaches to learning affect reading instruction. (TJ)

Reports the results of a survey of primary school head teachers in England carried out in order to take a broad "sounding" of mainstream practice with respect to volunteer help with reading within schools. (DF)

Gathers information about children's reading habits against the background of the Standard Achievement Tests (SATs). Questions three children in each of four schools in England on their reading habits. Notes that few of the children associated reading with pleasure. Suggests that schools can never rival the potential of the home for encouraging…

An account of the Barking Reading Project designed to prepare classroom teachers (instead of reading specialists) to respond to children with severe reading difficulties. The subject of a two-year government research study, the project's findings endorse initiatives that promote classroom teacher ability to make good teaching decisions relating to…

A study examined the theoretical orientation of infant school and infant department teachers in England. The Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) was used to determine the teacher's orientation to reading instruction. TORP applies a Likert scale response system to a series of statements about how reading should be taught. Subjects…

Discusses the hazards that the English language contains for children learning to read, reports the Bullock Report's recommendation to judge I.T.A. on its merits, and describes research findings suggesting that the probability of reading failure is considerably greater when T.O. is used than when I.T.A. is used. (GT)

Compares views on the reading process expressed by students at the beginning of their professional training with those of the same students near their training completion. Finds that students at the beginning of training are not greatly influenced by psycholinguistic principles, and that any influence present diminishes during professional…