Reading Acquisition Processes

How do children learn to read? Research on this question has in recent years moved from description of changes during learning towards understanding the processes by which learning takes place. The summaries of research, new theoretical frameworks and the new findings presented in this book are at the forefront of this movement in research on reading. The processes of acquisition of print word recognition are examined.

Highlights are:

* A new theoretical framework for different kinds of printed word recognition processes. Predictions are tested which contradict other current theories. These include new findings on phonological recoding and on the identification of word meaning.

* New research findings on the influence on word recognition processes of the context provided by the text. The implications for learner and teacher are examined.

* Consideration of the challenging question of the influence of the type of instruction on the way the child learns. Findings include international comparisons with the distinctive New Zealand teaching approach which is fully described.

* A critical synthesis of findings on student differences in progress in learning to read which are related to aspects of language development.

* An examination of the relationships between word recognition processes of reading and the comprehension aspects.