A theory of how children progress through different phases of reading should be an asset both to reading researchers and teachers alike. The present paper provides a brief review of Ehri's influential four phases of reading development: pre-alphabetic, partial alphabetic, full alphabetic and consolidated alphabetic. The model is flexible enough to…

We argue that the reading of words and text is fundamentally conditioned by the splitting of the fovea and the hemispheric division of the brain, and, furthermore, that the equitable division of labour between the hemispheres is a characteristic of normal visual word recognition. We report analyses of a representative corpus of the eye fixations…

Considers Goswami's (1999) review of available evidence for and against the role of phonological rime awareness and analogy theory, concluding much of the evidence fits an alternative (non-rime) interpretation. Explores implications from this evidence for teaching and the role of rime analogy should play in the British National Curriculum. (SG)

Challenges three basic claims about the scientific "database" concerning rhyme and analogy in reading made in another article in this journal: (1) the relationship between rhyme and reading remains controversial; (2) there is doubt about the relevance of children's ability to make orthographic analogies for classroom reading instruction; and (3)…

Presents a developmental framework for interpreting and understanding how new digital technologies have been integrated into literacy instruction and research and how they might be integrated in the future. Argues that assimilation and accommodation define a developmental reality that helps explain a variety of issues pertaining to new…

Highlights ways in which standard information processing models of language, and specifically of reading, are deficient. Deficiencies are considered under four headings: (1) theoretical rigour, (2) the interaction of different levels of information during reading; (3) the parallel nature of much of human information processing, and (4) reading…

Discusses, for the benefit of research workers and other test users, the ongoing controversy concerning the relative merits of conventional test theory and Rasch scaling in the construction of reading tests. Concludes that a great deal of further research is required to see whether these approaches are educationally valid. (JD)

Presents a criticism of C. Hicks's references as being out of date or of inadequate methodology. Includes a defense from Hicks and a third-party adjudication suggesting that while the criticisms are well taken, the proposed solutions are not practical and the reader must beware. (HTH)

Discusses two frequently recommended tests for the evaluation of visual perception in relation to reading ability: the Frostig Development Test of Visual Perception and the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test. Questions the content validity of the former and suggests that the latter is a reasonable predictor of reading achievement. (FL)

Argues that the teaching of initial reading should focus upon the beginning reader rather than on teaching procedures and that factors in the individual child such as motivation, experience, oral language, cognitive development, and pace of learning should be considered. (FL)

Argues that the poor coordination of much reading research is due partly to researchers' failure to consider previous findings. Offers illustrations from three lines of research: verbal reaction time, suppression effects, and phonological coding in silent reading. Offers two suggestions to help overcome the lack of historical awareness in the…

Offers evidence for four propositions that demonstrate a strong association between binocular instability and dyslexic reading difficulties. Discusses two propositions designed to prove that it is unstable binocular control that causes reading difficulties, rather than vice versa. (RS)

Defines the Paired Reading technique and comments upon minor variations. Discusses the background to Paired Reading, and the theoretical framework for the technique. Concludes that its effects are mediated by a number of different factors, and the technique should, therefore, be widely philosophically acceptable. (SR)

Distinguishes between two meanings of literacy that have been conflated: the ability to read and write, and the broader concept of being educated. Presents three arguments: literacy is not social; literacy is not political; and the comprehension part of literacy is a relative matter, while the ability to decode is not. (RS)

Outlines a strategy for resolving disputes between the whole language and phonics camps in reading instruction. Reviews research on the role of context in word recognition, the process of reading acquisition, and analytic versus holistic approaches to reading acquisition. Suggests that the way is clear for whole language advocates to reconstitute…