The inconclusive results of research comparing beginning reading methodologies in the 1960s led many schools to change their approaches to beginning reading instruction. In the 1970s the focus has shifted from the belief in a single method as superior for all children to the attempt to match methodology to the needs of individual children. A…

A study of the effects of modality preferences and teacher competencies on reading achievement was undertaken using three different programs for initial reading instruction. The major purposes of the study were to determine differences in reading achievement when first grade children are placed in programs congruent or noncongruent with their…