Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert

Area of Science:

• Psychological Science
• Education

Background:

• Public interest in reading acquisition is high, yet research findings lag in educational policy.
• Decades of
• reading wars
• persist, highlighting a disconnect between scientific knowledge and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To bridge the gap between reading science and educational practice.
• To provide a comprehensive review of the science of learning to read, from early skills to expert reading.
• To inform effective classroom strategies based on research.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive tutorial review of psychological science research on reading acquisition.
• Analysis of research from early alphabetic skills to fluent word recognition and text comprehension.
• Examination of factors beyond phonics necessary for expert reading.

Main Results:

• Phonics instruction is central to learning in alphabetic writing systems like English.
• Expert reading requires skills beyond phonics, including fluent word recognition and skilled text comprehension.
• Translating research findings into effective classroom practice is feasible.

Conclusions:

• An end to the "reading wars" is called for.
• An agenda for reading instruction and research is recommended, emphasizing balance, developmental appropriateness, and understanding of language and writing systems.
• Closing the gap between research and public understanding of reading acquisition is essential.