AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE EXISTS ANY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORAL RESPONSE IN LEARNING TO READ AND ACHIEVEMENT IN RECOGNITION AND UNDERSTANDING OF WRITTEN WORDS AND SENTENCES. THE TECHNIQUE OF PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION WAS CHOSEN FOR AND EXPERIMENT WITH 182 KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN. THREE ASPECTS WERE INVESTIGATED--AN EXPERIMENTAL PHASE, A FOLLOWUP OF THE LEARNERS' PROGRESS, AND AN APPLICATION OF THE AUTOINSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM IN THE KINDERGARTEN. ORAL RESPONSE BY BEGINNING READERS FACILITATED THE RECOGNITION AND COMPREHENSION OF PRINTED WORDS AND SENTENCES. THE ORAL RESPONSE WAS OF SIGNIFICANT VALUE EVEN THOUGH THE POST-TEST CALLED FOR SILENT READING. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE ACT OF VOCALIZATION DURING INSTRUCTION WAS AN AID TO THE BEGINNING READER. FOLLOWUP STUDY RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT INFERIORITY OF BOYS IN LEARNING TO READ MAY BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO SOCIAL INFLUENCES IN THE CLASSROOM. THE PRINCIPLE FINDING WAS DOCUMENTATION OF THE GREAT RANGE IN INDIVIDUAL READING PROGRESS.