Learning about letters is an important foundation for literacy development. Should children be taught to label letters by conventional names, such as /bi/ for "b", or by sounds, such as /b[inverted e]/? We queried parents and teachers, finding that those in the United States stress letter names with young children, whereas those in…

The influx of immigrants and refugees with little or no previous formal education has made the investigation of English as a Second Language (ESL) literacy instructional techniques and methods a priority within the ESL professional field. The 2003-2004 resettlement of over 12,000, mostly preliterate, Somali Bantu refugees to the United States has…

Television has been seen by some as an enemy of literacy and by others as a tool for enhancing literacy. It has been used to arouse public awareness through national campaigns, to instruct in basic skills, and to motivate potential learners to seek education. According to the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), adults with limited literacy…