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Beginning Reading Instruction: Issues In Phonics And Modality Preferences, Debra A. Kelley

Masters Theses

This thesis reviews the major trends regarding the place of phonics in reading instruction since the 1950's and attempts to integrate current perspectives on phonics in regard to both classroom and individualized instruction. In the 1950's, instruction in the regular classroom tended to emphasize sight-words at the expense of word analysis or phonic skills. The mid-1960's classic study by Chall, Learning to Read: The Great Debate, documented the value of phonic instruction in beginning reading and led to later refinements regarding the place of phonics in beginning reading instruction.

The attempt to match individual children's preferred modality for learning …