A study investigated the decoding automaticity of elementary students when receiving rule-based instruction (as a process of applying syllable and structural analysis rules and limited phonics), and when receiving holistic instruction in a whole language program (exercises in listening, reading and writing, integrated with classroom instruction…

Reviews the literature relative to the theory and practice of literature-based reading instruction. Cites studies that support a holistic, literature-based approach to reading instruction. Suggests that more studies are needed relative to the implementation of literature-based reading programs. (PRA)

Presents a discussion of the ideas that are central to the concept of literature-based reading instruction. Reviews the theory, gives insights from reading research, stresses the importance of literature in the reading program, and offers strategies for literature-based reading instruction. (PRA)

Examines the results of the National Reading Panel's (NRP) comparison of skills-based and whole language approaches through the lens of reading comprehension. Reveals that the research does not show that skills-based methods are superior. Concludes that the NRP's interpretation of the results is not the only possible one and should not be the…

Of all the developments in reading research during the past 30 years, few have provided as much fodder for the wars over whole language as "invented spelling." Research on invented spelling led to a developmental theory of how children experiment with phonemic rules and patterns, and scholars urged teachers to allow children to spell…

A study was conducted to determine ways in which student learning styles could be accommodated in a whole language classroom. The Reading Style Inventory (RSI) developed by Marie Carbo which follows the Dunn model of learning styles was chosen for the study. The RSI was administered to 10 students in 2 second/third combination grade whole language…

During the 1970s direct phonics instruction was the preferred method of reading instruction. In the 1980s the whole language concept caught on and phonics instruction was considered defunct. In the 1990s the pendulum, in the process of swinging back, was intercepted before it went to the extreme of "all phonics," by a balanced approach…

Puts whole language and the author's own research into historical, political, and philosophical context. Offers predictions about the future of whole language and education in general. (SR)

Examines (from the perspective of developmental dialectics) the on-going debate between traditional instruction and whole-language advocates in reading. Provides an overview of the differences between the two camps. Outlines the reasons why whole-language approaches have increasingly been incorporated into classrooms. Speculates on how the debate…

Relates a teacher's observations of first graders in a whole language classroom enabling each other to read. Suggests reading techniques which foster this collaborative learning. (PRA)

This article's fundamental argument is that the reading instruction and reading research have been shaped by political forces desiring to privilege particular approaches to instruction or particular combinations of methodological and epistemological perspectives on research. The swings in both dominant pedagogies and dominant research paradigms…

This 62-item annotated bibliography presents books, journal articles, and book chapters on the general topic of reading research published between 1932 and 1992. In addition to reading research, topics covered by the bibliography include: schema theory, strategic reading, cognitive psychology, whole language, the psycholinguistic view of reading,…

Outlines a strategy for resolving disputes between the whole language and phonics camps in reading instruction. Reviews research on the role of context in word recognition, the process of reading acquisition, and analytic versus holistic approaches to reading acquisition. Suggests that the way is clear for whole language advocates to reconstitute…

Argues that reading educators need to objectively appraise the whole-language instructional philosophy in relation to what is known about reading methodology. Discusses the whole-language philosophy, its history, the "whole sentence method," and whole-language weaknesses. Advocates developing a "balanced reading program," which would emphasize…

Investigates the reading orientation of teachers who instruct students with special needs by using the Theoretical Orientation in Reading Profile. Finds that teachers in the study were not strongly associated with any one theoretical orientation but tended to be eclectic. Finds also that the teachers clustered primarily into two orientations:…