The purpose of this review is to synthesize the existing research on decodability as a text characteristic examining how reading decodable text impacts students' reading performance and growth. The results are organized into two sections based on the research designs of the studies: (1) studies that described student performance when reading texts…

The ability to recognize letter patterns within words as a single unit is important for fluent reading. This skill is based on previously established memory representations of common letter patterns. The ability to form these memory representations may be impaired in some poor readers, particularly readers with naming speed deficits (NSD). This…

Examines relationships between levels of phonological awareness and early reading ability. Finds significant correlations between metaphonological abilities and reading for kindergarteners but weak or nonexistent correlations in the tasks involving sensitivity to phonological similarities for first graders. Notes that all children who developed…

The researchers addressed two questions: (1) Does maternal reading mediation and family home literacy environment (HLE) relate to children's emergent literacy (EL) level? and (2) Do the relationships among these variables differ as a function of socioeconomic strata (SES) level. A total of 94 5-6-year-old children, 47 from low SES (LSES) and 47…

Investigates the relationship between phoneme segmentation ability and the development of orthographic representations. Finds that children who were most well equipped to perform phoneme segmentation tasks acquired the new reading vocabulary significantly faster than those who were less phonemically aware. Provides strong support for the thesis…

Uses exploratory data analysis to examine changes in individual reading and spelling patterns during first grade. Notes that subjects received 45 minutes of daily letter-sound instruction. Finds that spelling and reading responses progressed from nonphonetic, to phonetic, to correct. Finds also that those slow to improve in phoneme deletion were…

Considers the prospects and need for a psychologically plausible connectionist model of the development of word recognition skills. Emphasizes the importance of phonological skills as precursors and facilitators of learning to read. Argues that it may be possible to develop a connectionist model which will be more consistent with evidence from…

Investigates the relationship of rapid serial naming (RSN) and other variables thought to contribute to beginning word reading (phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge, memory span, processing speed, and articulation). Explores a preliminary/exploratory model of word reading. Indicates that no variable in the model could fully…

Examines the extent to which preschool children are aware of and acquire the phonemic structure of the spoken word. Tests 4-year-old nonreaders, assessing product name reading ability, knowledge of the alphabet, rhyme skills, and explicit phonemic awareness ability. Finds subjects acquired knowledge of the alphabet before they showed explicit…

Examines growth of word reading skills in first- and second-grade Italian children by analyzing the pattern of reading errors. Tailors the selection of reading material to permit a meaningful cross-language comparison with pre-existing findings on English-speaking children. Finds that, in English and Italian, spatially related errors constituted a…

Explores whether or not beginning readers of Chinese (first and third graders) activate phonological codes while reading Chinese characters. Finds that subjects used phonological codes while reading. (RS)

Determines the effects of training of phonological abilities upon the acquisition of reading and writing during the first year of primary school. Finds significant effects on both reading and writing measures for the groups trained on phonological activities using manipulative materials. Discusses theoretical and educational implications. (RS)

Examines beginning readers' reported word identification strategies for identifying unfamiliar words in text in relation to reading achievement, reading-related skills, and academic self-perceptions. Indicates that children who reported using word-based strategies showed superior reading and reading-related performance, and reported more positive…

Examines factors accounting for early reading performance in Finnish, a transparent orthography with a clear mapping of phonemes onto graphemes. Notes that measures for grades one and four included reading comprehension, phoneme awareness, and object- and digit naming. Suggests a larger role for phoneme awareness for children learning a…

Finds no evidence to counter the assumption that reading begins with a logographic stage; teaching method had a significant impact on children's reading strategies; and several children taught using the whole word technique appeared to exhibit letter-by-letter reading. Suggests that letter-by-letter dyslexia might be an extreme form of a strategy…