10-second review: What’s the best way to teach young children the alphabet? Why is the alphabet important in learning to read? How does knowledge of the alphabet relate to learning read?
Title: “Developing Early Literacy Skills: A Meta-Analysis of Alphabet Learning and Instruction.” SB Piasta and RK Wagner. Reading Research Quarterly (January/February/March 2010), 3 – 38.
Summary: “Alphabet knowledge is a hallmark of early literacy and facilitating its development has become a primary objective of pre-school instruction and intervention.” “Children’s knowledge of letter names and sounds is the best predictor of their later reading and spelling abilities.” “Pre-school and kindergarten students with poor knowledge of letter names and sounds are more likely to struggle with learning to read and be classified as having reading disabilities.” “However, little agreement exists about how to promote the development of alphabet knowledge effectively.” “We found minimal evidence [Italics mine, RayS.] of transfer of alphabet instruction to early phonological, reading or spelling skills.”
Comment: In short, knowledge of the alphabet is important in learning to read. Little agreement exists on how to teach the alphabet. Little evidence of transfer to phonological, reading or spelling skills. What’s that mean? We know the alphabet is important in learning to read. We don’t know how to teach it effectively. And we don’t know how it relates to learning to read. RayS.
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