In a partial replication of Samuels' (1972) experiments, 60 first grade pupils were assigned to a letter name group, a letter discrimination group, or a control group to investigate the effect of letter name knowledge on learning to read words. Artificial letters formulated by Gibson, et al. (1962) were used instead of those of Samuels, and…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the unaided teacher is able to teach kindergarten children in remedial reading as well as the teacher who is aided by trained fifth- and sixth-grade tutors. Involved in the study were eight schools using the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) First Year Communications Skills Program, which is…

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…

Designed for educable mentally handicapped students, the Functional Basic Reading Series is described in terms of a practical approach to reading. The four developmental stages of the sequential program are presented accompanied with specific titles of materials appropriate for each level. Characteristics of controlled vocabulary, social goals and…

Generalized views of the role of the elementary school in a democratic society and of the uniqueness of each student have implications for policy in improving elementary education. Owing to the youth of its clientele, the elementary school has an intense impact. No school so greatly affects so many Americans. It is a democratic institution…

Characteristics of language variety are identified, and language systems are viewed as having their own sympathetic patterns which are not deviant from but which are different from each other. The relationship of language variation to literacy is discussed, and matching beginning reading materials to the child's oral language is seen to facilitate…

Vocabulary studies conducted in this century are reviewed in this paper, with an emphasis on several recent investigations utilizing computer technology. The use of computers has greatly facilitated the ease and accuracy of word tabulation, but the lists are only as language-reflective as the sources from which they are derived. The great majority…

This pamphlet deals with the principle of systematizing traditional orthography (TO) to produce initial teaching media and the application of that principle in Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.). Part 1 discusses: three causes of failure in literacy, the need for systematizing TO for the better learning of literacy, TO research with infants,…

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 purpose of this bibliography is to identify reading materials which meet the needs of the culturally disadvantaged student, especially during the beginnning stages of reading. The criteria used in the selection of books included: ideas and symbols with which the culturally disadvantaged child could identify, concepts which include a basic…

Japanese preschool children begin to read at home at age four without any formal instruction or reading readiness programs, and the development of their reading abilities in the preschool stage is mainly up to the parents. A new reading program will be needed for the sake of children with parents who are not sufficiently concerned about reading.…

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.…

The reading program, Words in Color, was used as a 1-year program at the first-grade level in an elementary school in Gainesville, Florida. The reading program in each of four control classes was identifiably unique and varied. Predata were collected using the Metropolitan Readiness Test, Form A, in September, 1969 and the Otis Quick Scoring…

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…

This packet of reading problem exercises is designed to be used by either the tutor or the classroom teacher for the purpose of informally assessing reading proficiency in children. There are two sets of cards in this packet. Each reading skill identified has two items--one appearing in each set of cards. The reading problem-solving exercises have…