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Summary of Reading Research Findings

and Links to Reading Research


The activities, techniques, and instructional approaches applied in the Right Track Reading programs and described on the informational  www.righttrackreading.com web pages are consistent with the findings from the valid evidence based research and also with the neuroscience revealing the importance of phonologic processig to proficient reading. This article lists and references some of this relevant research in significant more detail than the Links page.


This page contains primarily bullet points, key findings and links to research. To view an article that better translates these research findings into action please see the article Direct Systematic Phonics Instruction Proven Effective: Why Parents and Teachers Should Use Direct Systematic Phonics.


The information is organized into the following sections:


Reading Research:


This section lists the research findings that support the effectiveness of direct systematic phonics for reading instruction. Links are provided.



The ‘Key Points from the Reading Research’ listed below are copied from the research based findings of the National Reading Panel’s Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. The findings of the National Reading Panel (NRP) listed below are well documented in publications including:



Key Points from the Reading Research Include:


Phonemic Awareness (PA) Instruction:


The findings showed that teaching children to manipulate phonemes in words was highly effective under a variety of learners across a range of grade and age levels and that teaching phonemic awareness to children significantly improves their reading more than instruction that lacks any attention to PA.  (NRP Summary Report p.7)

Phonemic awareness training was the cause of improvement in student’s phonemic awareness. (NRP Summary Report p.7)

Phonemic Awareness training exerted strong and significant effects on reading and spelling development (NRP Summary Report p.7)

Phonemic Awareness training improved children’s ability to read and spell in both the short term and the long term (NRP Report of the Subgroups page 2-28)

Instruction that taught phoneme manipulation with letters helped children acquire PA skills better than instruction without letters (NRP Report of the Subgroups page 2-28)

Children who were taught to manipulate phonemes with letters benefited more in their spelling than children whose manipulations were limited to speech. (NRP Report of the Subgroups page 2-29)


Phonics Instruction:


The meta-analysis indicated that systematic phonics instruction enhances children’s success in learning to read and that systematic phonics instruction is significantly more effective than instruction that teaches little or no phonics. (NRP Summary Report p.9)

The meta-analysis revealed that systematic phonics instruction produces significant benefits for students in kindergarten through 6th grade & for children having difficulty learning to read. (NRP Summary Report p.9)

Systematic synthetic phonics instruction had a positive and significant effect on disabled readers’ reading skills. (NRP Summary Report p.9)

Moreover, systematic synthetic phonics instruction was significantly more effective in improving low socioeconomic status (SES) children’s alphabetic knowledge and word reading skills than instructional approaches that were less focused on these initial reading skills. (NRP Summary Report p.9)

Findings provided solid support for the conclusion that systematic phonics instruction makes a bigger contribution to children’s growth in reading than alternative programs providing unsystematic or no phonics instruction.  (NRP Subgroup Report page 2-92)

This supports the conclusion that systematic phonics instruction is effective when delivered through tutoring, through small groups & through teaching classes of students. (NRP Subgroup Report page 2-93)

The conclusion drawn from these findings is that systematic phonics instruction is significantly more effective than non-phonics instruction in helping to prevent reading difficulties among at risk students and in helping to remediate reading difficulties in disabled readers. (NRP Subgroup Report page 2-94)

Students taught phonics systematically outperformed students who were taught a variety of nonsystematic or non-phonics programs, including basal programs, whole language approaches and whole-word programs. (NRP Subgroup Report page 2-95)

The conclusion drawn is that growth in word-reading skills is strongly enhanced by systematic phonics instruction when compared to non-phonics instruction for kindergartners and 1st graders as well as for older struggling readers. Growth in comprehension is also boosted by systematic phonics instruction for younger students and reading disabled students. These findings should dispel any belief that teaching phonics systematically to young children interferes with their ability to read and comprehend text. Quite the opposite is the case. (NRP Subgroup Report page 2-94)


“Non-Systematic Programs of phonics instruction: Some programs of instruction do not teach phonics explicitly and systematically.

Further, adding phonics workbooks or phonics activities to these programs of instruction has not been effective. Such "add-ons" confuse rather than help children to read.”

(From page 17 of Put Reading First: The Research Blocks for Teaching Children to Read)

Fluency Instruction/ Guided Oral Reading:

Guided repeated oral reading procedures that included guidance from teachers, peers or parents had a significant and positive impact on word recognition, fluency, and comprehension across a range of grade levels. (NRP Summary Report p.12)

Comprehension Instruction:

Readers acquire these strategies informally to some extent, but explicit or formal instruction in the application of comprehension strategies has been shown to be highly effective in enhancing understanding (NRP Summary Report p. 14)

Vocabulary Instruction:

Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written language ( Put Reading First page 35)

Although a great deal of vocabulary is learned indirectly, some vocabulary should be taught directly. (Put Reading First p.36)

Vocabulary should be taught both directly and indirectly. Repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary items are important. (NRP Summary Report p.14)


Additional principles and findings from the NRP that are incorporated into the  Right Track Reading Program and Website Information and activities are listed below. These highlights are copied from the National Institute for Literacy’s (NIFL) Summary “Principles from the Reading Research”

“To become good readers, children must develop phonemic awareness (an understanding of the sounds that make up spoken language), phonics skills (an understanding of the sounds that letters and letter combinations make), the ability to read fluently and accurately, and the ability to comprehend what is read.”

“Systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness directly causes improvement in children's reading and spelling skills.”

“Systematic and explicit phonics instruction produces significant benefits for children from kindergarten through sixth grade and for children having difficulty learning to read. Effective Phonics Instruction involves teaching a sequence of phonics elements, not just highlighting elements as they appear in a text.”


Highlights from the evidence-based research on phonics instruction include:


Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is more effective than non-systematic or no phonics instruction. The hallmark of systematic phonics instruction is the direct teaching of a set of letter-sound relationships in a clearly defined sequence. The set includes the major sound/spelling relationships of both consonants and vowels.

Systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves kindergarten and first grade children's word recognition and spelling.

Systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves children's reading comprehension.

Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is effective for children from various social and economic levels. It helps children from various backgrounds make greater gains in reading than non-systematic or no phonics instruction.

Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is particularly beneficial for children who are having difficulty learning to read and who are at risk for developing future reading problems.

Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is most effective when introduced early. Instruction should start in kindergarten and first grade.

Phonics instruction is not an entire reading program for beginning readers. Children should also be solidifying their knowledge of the alphabet, engaging in phonemic awareness activities, and listening to stories and informational texts read aloud to them. They should also be reading texts and writing letters, words, messages, and stories.

Phonics can be taught effectively to a whole class, small groups, or individual students.


Highlights from the evidence-based research on phonemic awareness instruction include:


 “Phonemic awareness can be taught and learned. Effective phonemic awareness instruction teaches children to notice, think about, and work with (manipulate) sounds in spoken language.”

“Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to read. It improves the ability to read words and comprehend what is read.”

“Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to spell. Direct instruction in phonemic awareness, especially in how to segment words into phonemes, helps children relate the sounds to letters as they spell words.”

“Phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when children are taught to manipulate phonemes by using the letters of the alphabet. Such instruction makes a stronger contribution to the improvement of reading and spelling when children are taught to use letters as they manipulate phonemes rather than when instruction is limited to phonemes alone.”

“Phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when it focuses on only one or two types of phoneme manipulation, rather than several types. A focus on teaching children to blend and segment phonemes in words, especially, is likely to produce greater benefits to reading ability than teaching several types of manipulation.”

“Phonemic awareness instruction can help all types of students learn to read, including preschoolers, kindergartners, first graders who are just starting to read, and older, less able readers.”


Highlights from the evidence-based research on fluency instruction include:


“Repeated and monitored oral reading improves fluency and overall reading achievement. Students who read and reread passages out loud as they receive guidance and feedback become better readers. Researchers have found several techniques to be effective including the reading and rereading of text a number of times (usually four times) until a certain level of fluency is reached, and practicing oral reading through the use of audiotapes, tutors, peer guidance, or other means.”


Highlights from the evidence-based research on vocabulary instruction include:


“Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written language. They do so by engaging daily in oral language, listening to adults read to them, and reading extensively on their own.”

“Although a great deal of vocabulary is learned indirectly, some vocabulary should be taught directly. This can be done through specific word instruction (teaching specific words, extended instruction that promotes active engagement with words, and repeated exposure to words in many contexts) and word learning strategies (using dictionaries and other reference aids, using word parts, and using context clues).”

“Vocabulary instruction should focus on important words (key words to help readers make sense of the text), useful words (words they will encounter often), and difficult words (words with multiple meanings, idiomatic words, etc.)”


Highlights from the evidence-based research on comprehension instruction include:


Text comprehension can be improved by instruction that helps readers use specific comprehension strategies. Those strategies include monitoring comprehension, using graphic and semantic organizers, answering questions, generating questions, recognizing story structure, and summarizing.

Students can be taught to use comprehension strategies. Effective comprehension strategy instruction should be explicit, or direct



The information contained in the Right Track Reading Programs, Website Information and Activities also apply the research information and findings from University of Oregon’s Big Ideas in Beginning Reading http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/  including:

Phonemic Awareness Instruction:

“Phonemic awareness needs to be taught explicitly”.

“Teachers increase effectiveness when the manipulation of letters is added to phonemic awareness tasks. Phonemic awareness is an auditory skill, but once children start to become familiar with the concept, teachers can introduce letter tiles or squares and manipulate them to form sounds and words.”

“The sound units (phonemes) are not inherently obvious and must be taught. The sounds that make up words are "coarticulated;" that is, they are not distinctly separate from each other.”


Alphabetic Principle Instruction:  


Because our language is alphabetic, decoding is an essential and primary means of recognizing words. There are simply too many words in the English language to rely on memorization as a primary word identification strategy (Bay Area Reading Task Force, 1997, see References).

“Letter-sound knowledge is prerequisite to effective word identification. A primary difference between good and poor readers is the ability to use letter-sound correspondence to identify words (Juel, 1991).”

“Students who acquire and apply the alphabetic principle early in their reading careers reap long-term benefits (Stanovich, 1986)”.

“Teaching students to phonologically recode words is a difficult, demanding, yet achievable goal with long-lasting effects (Liberman & Liberman, 1990).”

“The combination of instruction in phonological awareness and letter-sounds appears to be the most favorable for successful early reading (Haskell, Foorman, & Swank, 1992).”

“Good readers must have a strategy to phonologically recode words (Ehri, 1991; NRP, 2000;).”

“During the alphabetic phase, reading must have lots of practice phonologically recoding the same words to become familiar with spelling patterns (Ehri, 1991).”

“Awareness of the relation between sounds and the alphabet can be taught (Liberman & Liberman, 1990).”

“Because our language is alphabetic, decoding is an essential and primary means of recognizing words. There are simply too many words in the English language to rely on memorization as a primary word identification strategy (Bay Area Reading Task Force, 1996;).”

Accuracy & Fluency Instruction:

Fluency Research Says:

Successful readers...



The Neuroscience of Proficient Reading!


The neurobiological evidence on the process of proficient reading and dyslexia reveal the importance of phonemic awareness and phonologic processing to proficient reading. The neural research demonstrates the ability of effective phonologic based reading instructional programs to develop proficient reader pathways and improve reading skills. This research provides a wealth of information that can help us more effectively teach students how to read. Several sources of background information applied to the activities in this presentation include:

Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level   by Sally Shaywitz, M.D. Copyright 2003

This book provides valuable information on the science of proficient reading. Dr. Shaywitz is a neuroscientist involved in the fascinating research on the process of proficient reading. In this book, she outlines what scientists are learning about the process of proficient reading and dyslexia (difficulty reading). The scientific evidence on the importance of phonemic awareness and phonologic processing provide a wealth of information that can help us more effectively teach students how to read. This book is available in many libraries and most bookstores.


Links to specific reasearch articles and journal citations found on the National Library of Medicine - National Institue of Health web based literature retrieval search system PubMed:  


Links to a few informative articles from the Georgetown University Medical Center:


National Institue of Health News Release Article - Imaging Study Reveals Brain Function of Poor Readers Can Improve   Key points copied directly from this article include:



Concluding Statement


In sumary, parents and teachers can learn much from the valid evidence based research and the neurobiological science of proficient reading. The evidence based research proves direct systematic phonics instruction IS the most effective method of reading instruction. The neuroscientists have revealed the neural ‘map’ to proficient reading is the development of phonologic processing pathways. This information can better help us lead our children and students to reading success. By following the ‘map’ to proficient reading and by using direct systematic phonologic based programs we CAN help our children and students achieve reading success!


If you are ready to acquire effective tools to help your child or student achieve reading success preview Right Track Reading Lessons and Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons.


Additional free information on teaching students to read using effective direct systematic phonics instruction is located at Reading Information and Information & Resources for Teaching Reading pages of the Right Track Reading website.


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This article was written by Miscese Gagen a mother with a passion for teaching children to read proficiently by using effective methods. She is also a successful reading tutor and author of the reading instructional programs Right Track Reading Lessons and Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons. The purpose of this article is to empower parents and teachers with information on teaching children how to read. We CAN improve reading proficiency, one student at a time!  More information is located at  www.righttrackreading.com ~ Copyright 2008-2013 Miscese R. Gagen

The tools to achieve reading success!