Research on the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) is viewed from two aspects--its limitations and how it can be improved. Thus far research has indicated that (1) transition from i.t.a. to traditional orthography is not the problem expected and (2) the children who are taught with i.t.a. read no better or worse than children taught with the…

A questionnaire was constructed and evaluated by specialists in the field of reading instruction to gain information regarding the use of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i/t/a). Elementary teachers and reading specialists in 16 randomly sampled school districts in nine states were questioned. Eight of the systems were in districts generally…

This intermediate-level reader in Moroccan Arabic is designed to provide (1) a text which will be articulatable with a basic course, (2) natural language in "advanced colloquial" rather than a literary style, and (3) material which is culturally insightful. The cultural aspects represented are those of inter-personal relationships,…

The stimulus properties of the letters b, d, p, and q were investigated in an attempt to demonstrate that the common reversal of these letters by beginning readers is in part determined by the vertical aspect of the stimulus figure. One hundred eighty kindergarteners were randomly selected from a racially mixed population and randomly assigned to…

The pattern of errors of second grade pupils in reading isolated words was analyzed, particularly with respect to reversals of letter sequence and letter orientation. These occurred in significant quantity only among the poorer readers in the class. The two types of reversals were uncorrelated and, therefore, cannot reflect a single process.…

From among the papers the author has presented at various conferences and the articles she has written for different journals, nine were selected to form this book. They are all concerned with beginning reading, and each forms a chapter of the book. Chapter one, "Approaches to Beginning Reading in Great Britain," discusses background…

A review of (1) the Tutor-Student-System, (2) Initial Teaching Alphabet, (3) Words in Color, and (4) the Michigan Successive Discrimination Program (MSDP) is presented in this paper. (WR)

Two codes that provide access to the identity of an item in memory are the initial letter of its name and the name of a category to which it belongs. This research compares the characteristics of these two modes of access to the identity of a memory trace. (Author/RK)

The ability of subjects to scan only one of two sets of items in short-term memory was investigated as a function of the similarity between the items in the two sets, the type of test used to evaluate retention of sets, and the number of items in each set. Results indicated that this one-set scan ability is limited by the capacity of short-term…

Described is a simple method for constructing (using a Xerox machine) and using progressively darker shaded flash cards for training letter discrimination via a fading strategy. (SBH)

Examines the processing of physical and nominal features of letters by children from grades 1, 2, and 6. Examines processing strategies in relation to reading ability. (BD)

A modification of Posner's letter-matching paradigm is employed to study the development of abstract visual and name codes for letters in second, fourth, and sixth grade students. (CM)

Presents the international flag and pennant code and suggests a variety of classroom uses of this means of communication. (CP)

Describes various distinctively shaped clay tokens used in western Asia centuries before the Sumerians invented writing. These tokens appear to have served as a basis for Sumerian ideographs. ( MA)

The review surveys published and unpublished reports of the use of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) with several types of sensory handicaps. (Author/SBH)