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How reading develops

5/27/2014

 
This article first appeared at RealClearEducation.com on April 29, 2014.


Do children learn to read by translating letters into sound, or by perceiving the spelling of the word? The answer has an indirect bearing on teaching; it would presumably be best to instruct kids in a way consonant with how most perform the task. The last fifteen years has seen an increasing consensus among researchers: children initially learn via the letter-sound translation mechanism. As they gain reading practice, they acquire the spelling mechanism as well, although the letter-sound translation method continues to make a contribution to reading. Now a new study of 284 French children in grades 1 through 5 offers support to this model (Ziegler et al, 2014).

From the child’s perspective, the experimental task was simple. They sat before a computer screen. An asterisk appeared at the center for one second, and then a string of letters replaced the asterisk (I’ll call this the “response letter string.”) Children were to push one button if the response letter string formed a word, and another if it did not.

What the kids were not told was that another letter string actually appeared between the asterisk’s disappearance and the appearance of the response letter string. This letter string (called the prime) appeared for just .07 seconds, so the children didn’t consciously see it—if anything, they might have thought the screen flickered.

Even though you’re unaware of it, the prime can influence your response. If the prime is “MOP” and then the response letter string is also “MOP,” you’re faster to verify that “MOP” is indeed a word, compared to how fast you respond if the prime were a non-matching word, say, “DOG.” Even though you were unaware of the prime, you read it, and so you’re a bit faster to read it a second time.

But what if the prime were “MAWP?” Would you still be faster to verify that “MOP?” is a word when it appears? If you think that people read via letter-sound translation, the answer ought to be yes. When “MAWP” appears, you read it and generate the right sound, and if sound is the basis of reading, you should get the advantage when “MOP” appears.

Using a comparable method, the researchers tested whether kids read via spelling. They used a prime with nearly the same spelling as the response letter string: for example “TALBE” followed by “TABLE.” Other work has shown the readers are pretty resistant to spelling errors like this one, where letters are off by just one position (McCusker et al, 1981). So if you’re using the spelling of a word to identify it, we can expect that you’ll be faster to verify that “TABLE” is a word if the prime was “TALBE,” compared to a prime like “CAIRH.” 

So take a moment and guess. Do first graders read mostly by sound or by spelling? How about fifth graders?

The data indicated that first graders read by sound. With each successive year, kids showed more and more evidence of using the spelling of words in their reading. BUT there was no diminution of the influence of sound. Experienced readers use both the sound and the spelling mechanisms.

This result fits with the following view of reading: most kids will learn to read by learning to sound out words. With practice over the course months and years, they develop an increasing number (and increasingly robust) mental representations that allow them to identify words by their appearance, i.e., by their spelling. These representations form as a consequence of reading practice and don’t require any special instruction. This general view accords with other behavioral data showing that methods of reading instruction that emphasize phonics have an edge over other methods.

References:

McCusker, L. X., Gough, P. B. & Bias, R. G. (1981). Word recognition inside out and outside in. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 7, 538-551.

Ziegler, J. C., Bertrand, D., Lété, B., & Grainger, J. (2014). Orthographic and phonological contributions to reading development: Tracking developmental trajectories using masked priming. Developmental Psychology, 50, 1026-1036.

Anne Castles
5/27/2014 11:54:01 pm

Hi Daniel, interesting piece and a nice clear description of masked priming! You might also be interested to read an earlier paper from the Ziegler/Grainger group. Here they do report a reduction in priming from similar-sounding (pseudohomophone) primes with increasing grade level (Grainger et al. Evidence for multiple routes in learning to read. Cognition, 2012, 123, 280-92). So the findings here are actually quite mixed, and it is also worth noting that, in skilled adult readers, these pseudohomophone effects are extremely weak at best (whereas priming effects based on the spelling are strong).

Bruce Howlett link
5/28/2014 01:57:25 am

I question the value of doing phonological / orthographic studies in French and English -- the two most challenging languages to read based on sound and spelling. The two languages that are most difficult to teach using phonics. A comparison with a language with simple sound - spelling relationships like Italian would be valuable.
Doesn't this study reinforce the view that reading is a receptive language experience having only a slight connection to print?

David Wees link
5/28/2014 11:48:54 pm

I read this and was curious about what implications this has on early writing. I know many schools emphasize spelling words correctly early on in the writing process, but my son went to a school that emphasized having the words sound correct early in the writing process, and then later emphasizing correct spelling.

It seems to me that there are some testable hypothesis here:
1. Writing is distinct from reading and there is minimal relationship between best practices for teaching reading and teaching writing.
2. To write you have to be able to read what you have written, and so practices that inform reading should inform writing.

Actually my hypothesis are overly broad, but hopefully you understand my point; should good early writing development allow students to make choices on how they spell words, rather than overly emphasizing correct spelling?

yessi ralph link
5/29/2014 06:39:02 pm

now a day reading is not as much popular in students as old time. They are not using references books and not reading knowledgeable material. Generally they are westing their most of time in social media and unusual activity. so we need to do something like make interest in reading.

Web Designing Companies in Jaipur link
6/6/2014 07:19:13 pm

I have great respect someone who is able to make his political views plain, but actually listen to differing opinions. I think it is very important to say exactly how they learn differently, and focus our attention on those differences that really matter.

mögel i hus link
6/12/2014 08:23:00 pm

Interesting to see ... thank you it's well done :)

robert tincal link
6/23/2014 05:46:13 am

i read all your article and it very nice, keep it up and i will share all details on my Friends

Kelween link
6/26/2014 12:29:48 am

Wow. it very useful for all reader because all people are read various books but don't have knowledge about reading skill so that it very useful.


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