Reports that kindergarten children were aided in learning to use the alphabet when additional cues to distinguish the letters were provided in the immediate letter background. (FL)

Supports the view that letter-name knowledge aids the child in learning to read. (RL)

Concludes that, of several reading readiness factors, knowledge of alphabet letter names is the best predictor of phonics skills other than vowel recognition and of reading abilities involving words in insolation, and that number knowledge is the best predictor of reading abilities involving words and syntax. (FL)

First graders taught with the initial teaching alphabet showed superior word recognition when compared with matched subjects taught in the traditional English alphabet instructional format. Retesting in third grade showed no significant differences between the groups, but indicated that auditory memory affected reading performance in both…