Some observations on beginning reading instruction

In this article, I review findings from 25 years of my own reading research that bear on the issue of skill-oriented versus holistic approaches to beginning reading. Several studies suggested that successful beginning readers demonstrate early development of word-recognition skills. These studies also indicated that both more and less successful readers make extensive use of contextual information when reading. Two experimental studies suggested that increased instructional and curriculum support for word recognition result in improvements in reading skill compared to whole-language instruction. In conclusion, I suggest that it is a mistake to treat systematic instruction of word-recognition skills as an alternative to instruction that emphasizes reading "authentic" texts and building language comprehension. Both word-recognition skills and building comprehension should be part of a reading program aimed at creating effective independent readers.