Theoretical models of word recognition suggest that knowing what a word means makes it easier to learn how to decode it. We tested this hypothesis with at-risk young students, a group that often responds poorly to conventional decoding instruction in which word meaning is not addressed systematically. A total of 53 first graders received explicit…

The purpose of this study was to examine how readers build orthographic knowledge for irregular words, defined as words that do not conform to conventional phonics rules and patterns. This study tests my theory that readers use phonological decoding, crosschecking and mental markings to read and spell unfamiliar irregular words. Forty-three…