Examines the relationship between pre-school reading and reading achievement among 343 seven year-old students. Pre-school reading scores were significantly related to word matching ability, concepts about print, letter identification, word reading, and oral vocabulary. (RKM)

Compares the effect on beginning readers' main idea comprehension of a direct instruction model, basal reader main idea comprehension lessons, and language extension lessons for group-dictated experience charts. Reports that the direct instruction group outperformed basal and control groups in determining main ideas across a variety of tasks. (MM)

Investigates the process involved in acquiring word knowledge from written context in prereading kindergarten children. Analyzes children's readings of picture books to identify patterns of vocabulary growth. Concludes that children learned lexicogrammatical information incidentally through exposure to written context. (MM)

Reports three experiments conducted to examine the ability of beginning readers (in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2) to categorize short front vowel sounds in familiar spoken words and to determine whether learning spellings of these vowel sounds improved the accuracy of their classifications. Discusses implications for learning to read and…

Longitudinal study investigated the relationship between print awareness and reading during the reading acquisition process of children from kindergarten through first grade. Results indicate that while print awareness plays a role in children's transition towards literacy, that role is entwined with the role of other reading knowledge and skills.…

Claims that even though teaching phonics is an effective method of reading instruction, the skills taught by phonics have little to do with the process of reading acquisition. Offers two methods of resolving the paradoxes generated by this situation. (NH)

Suggests that the most beneficial early reading experiences are those that are informally presented and on topics of personal interest to children. Presents a sequence of activities using children's names that may be used to teach early reading and writing. (ARH)

States that shared reading is a valid instructional strategy and that if teachers use it with joy and confidence, children will respond in kind. (DF)

Compares the ability of children at three different levels to use analogy in reading both real and nonsense words. Shows young children can successfully use analogy to decode new words. (HOD)

Courseware for teaching survival sight vocabulary and reading skills by computer to nonreading adults was developed using principles of adult learning. Non-English speaking immigrants in Western Australia used the modules cooperatively and were interviewed to determine their reactions to the approach. (SK)

This study examined the effects of phonemic analysis and synthesis on a reading analog task. Kindergarteners (n=31) who could not segment syllables into phonemes were assigned to a control group, segmenting training, or segmenting and blending training. Results suggest phonemic awareness skills are causally related to learning to read. (Author/BS)

Examines kindergarten and first-grade children's classifications and spellings and differences in their classifications of sounds from those of adults. In addition to these spelling, phoneme recognition, and phoneme deletion tasks, each child took the reading and spelling subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test. (AS)

This paper describes the results of a study assessing the impact on field independence-dependence of decoding as a component of reading instruction for 225 first graders. Such drill appears to affect the ability to disembed, a component of field independence-dependence, but not to affect the ability to identify vertically. (Author)

Describes two experiments that investigate the relationship between beginning readers' concept of word in text and their awareness of phonemes in spoken words. (HOD)

Provides a look at primary grade children's abilities, inabilities, and requirements to use phonics as a beginning reading strategy and suggests a model that facilitates children's application of phonics while reading. (FL)