Empirical evidence supports the view that explicit teaching can make a positive difference to learning; however, further research is needed to understand the impact on learning to spell if spelling error analysis is used to inform explicit spelling instruction. This paper presents findings of an intervention study involving 572 students in Years 3…

Nonword reading measures are widely used to index children's phonics knowledge, and are included in the Phonics Screening Check currently implemented in England and under consideration in Australia. However, critics have argued that the use of nonword measures disadvantages good readers, as they will be influenced by their strong lexical knowledge…

New Zealand's approach to literacy instruction is predominantly whole language. Explicit code-orientated literacy instruction is not favoured, however, most teachers are believed to include phonics in their literacy lessons. No study has been reported on phonics use in New Zealand schools. Survey responses on the use of phonics instruction from…