A COMPARISON OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET AND THE TRADITIONAL ALPHABET IN FIRST-GRADE READING WAS CONDUCTED. SAMPLES WERE SELECTED FROM SEVEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT WERE REPRESENTATIVE OF DIFFERING SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. THE PUPILS WERE PAIRED INTO MATCHED GROUPS. AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS TAUGHT READING BY THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET (ITA)…

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relation among reading readiness achievement, three instructional programs in personal writing, and achievement in personal writing of first-grade children. The 140 white, middle class first graders participating in the study were taught in one of three programs: (1) the Initial Alphabet…

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO METHODS OF FIRST-GRADE BEGINNING READING INSTRUCTION WERE INVESTIGATED. APPROXIMATELY 920 FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS WHICH RECEIVED 1 OF THE 2 METHODS. TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF CERTAIN VARIABLES ON READING ACHIEVEMENT, THE CHILDREN WERE MATCHED IN PAIRS. THE RESULTS WERE GATHERED FROM ONE GROUP…

A study was conducted to determine the influence of a holistic versus a phonic approach in beginning reading on children's comprehension scores at the end of grade two. Two groups, each of approximately 350 students, were studied. Group one began reading instruction in first grade using the "Early-to-Read i.t.a. Program" (initial teaching…

This study determined the effectiveness of the Initial Teaching Alphabet and Traditional Orthography on first and second grade pupils of normal and superior intelligence. The experimental i.t.a. group contained 44 first graders and 37 second graders, and the control traditional orthography groups had 43 first graders and 48 second graders.…

This publication contains papers contributed to the fifth Perspectives of Reading conference of the International Reading Association which focused on the teaching of beginning reading. The following approaches are described and evaluated: (1) individualized reading, (2) basal reading, (3) linguistic approach, (4) phonics approach, (5) new…

Presents the results of a questionnaire sent to teachers using the initial teaching alphabet (i.t.a.), and their principals. Generally favorable effects were reported by both groups, with the great majority of teachers indicating they would choose to continue using i.t.a. (DLG)

A COMPARISON WAS MADE OF FOUR DIFFERENT METHODS OF TEACHING BEGINNING READING. THE PROGRAMS STUDIED WERE (1) AN ECLECTIC, "WHOLE WORD" READING PROGRAM PRESENTED IN SCOTT, FORESMAN PUBLICATIONS, (2) A "PHONIC" READING PROGRAM PUBLISHED BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT, (3) A COMBINATION ECLECTIC, "WHOLE WORD - PHONIC" READING…

This book suggests that first graders could express themselves on paper more easily and naturally if they were taught the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.). The chapters take up (1) the neglect of writing skills in a reading-oriented nation, (2) a comparison of the writing performance of students who learned the i.t.a. with that of students who…

Twenty-seven summaries of first-grade reading studies sponsored by the United States Office of Education are included. The studies, done in the 1964-65 school year, were made in different localities, and each was concerned with a different problem. More than one-half of the directors were full-time college professors; a few were senior authors of…