A comparison of three approaches to literacy acquisition : traditional phonics, whole language, and spelling before reading by Roxanne L Sporleder A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Montana State University © Copyright by Roxanne L Sporleder (1998) Abstract: A quasi-experimental research design was used to compare three approaches to literacy acquisition in nine first-grade classrooms to determine if there was a significant difference in achievement in phoneme segmentation, reading, and spelling development at the end of twenty-one weeks of instruction. All nine classrooms within one school district with a total of 151 first-grade students received instruction in reading following the district curriculum guidelines and using a newly adopted literature-based reading series. The basal provided a wide variety of opportunities to read, write, and talk about meaning. In addition to the basic reading program, students in the nine classrooms received differentiating instruction. Three classrooms were introduced to phonics within the context of literature and learned spelling using word families. Three classrooms received direct instruction in phonics using a traditional approach to learning letter sounds, blending words, and reading short controlled texts. These also learned spelling using word families. Another three classrooms received instruction in the letter representations of phonemes with an emphasis on metacognition and spelling words before ever reading them. At the beginning of the school year, students were given baseline tests to identify phoneme segmentation skills, letter knowledge, spelling development and reading ability. At the end of twenty-one weeks, these same tests as well as the WRMT-R were administered. The results showed that age, gender, and socio-economic status were not differentiating factors. There was also no difference among the three groups in the ability to recognize and write letters, to identify sounds of letters, and to hear the separate sounds of speech (phoneme segmentation skills). However, the three classrooms that introduced students to the letter representations of phonemes and engaged them in reconstructing the orthographic code by spelling words before ever reading them, scored significantly higher in basic reading skills, total reading ability, and spelling achievement. This approach was more effective than either the direct phonics classrooms or the indirect phonics classrooms. It also more effective than using word families to increase reading and spelling achievement. Recommendations for further study include applying this approach to literacy to a variety of demographics, grade levels, and curriculums. A COMPARISON OF THREE APPROACHES TO LITERACY ACQUISITION: TRADITIONAL PHONICS, WHOLE LANGUAGE, AND SPELLING BEFORE READING by Roxanne L. Sporleder A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY-BOZEMAN Bozeman, Montana April 1998 © COPYRIGHT by Roxanne L. Sporleder 1998 All Rights Reserved APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Roxanne Lee Sporleder This thesis has been read by each member of the thesis committee and has been found to be satisfactory regarding content, English usage, format, citations, bibliographic style, and consistency, and is ready for submission to the College of Graduate Studies. Dr. Ann deOnis P h is Chairperson, Graduate Committee Date Approved for the Department of Education Dr. Gloria Gregg Approved for the College of Graduate Studies Dr. Joseph J. Fedock Date iii STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a doctoral degree at Montana State University-Bozeman51 agree that the Library shall make it available to bor­ rowers under rules of the Library. I further agree that copying of this thesis is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for extensive copying or reproduction of this thesis should be referred to University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106, to whom I have granted “the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute my dissertation in and from microform along with the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute my abstract in any format in whole or in part.” Signature Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A project of this magnitude can never be accomplished without the time, encouragement, and special efforts of many individuals. It is with deep gratitude that I express my thanks to the members of my graduate committee. Dr. Ann de Onis, Dr. Randy Hitz, Dr. LeRoy Casagranda, Dr. Jana Noel, and Dr. Keith Chambers, who offered their expertise and encouragement throughout the course work and this research. A special thanks goes to Dr. Ann de Onis, my chairperson, who spent hours carefully reading the manuscript and giving thoughtful feedback and to Dr. Eric Strohmeyer for lending his time to help me with the statistics. It is with deep gratitude that I recognize the wonderful first-grade teachers and principal who opened up their school for this research. Although they wish to remain anonymous, they were key players and without them, this research would not be. Many thanks goes to my friends, Linda Holden and Dorothy Anne Adams, who encouraged me to continue in spite of obstacles. A special thanks goes to Mary Ann Brown, my dear friend, who inspired me and spurred me on to finish when it seemed impossible to do so. It is with deep gratitude that I extend thanks to my mother and my seven daughters, Laura, Arlene, Amy, Jana, Stephanie, Sarah, and Kristin, who never complained of the inconvenience, but with patience and sacrifice continually encouraged me in this endeavor. V TABLE OF CONTENTS . Page LIST OF TABLES.......................... .. ..................................................................................ix LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................xi ABSTRACT........................................................................................... ................................ xii 1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................... I Introduction..................................................................................................................... I Beginning R eading..............................................'............................................I Statement of the Problem ....................... 5 Need for the S tu d y ..........................................................................................................7 Definition of T e rm s ......................................................................................................10 Whole Word Approach .................................................... 10 Whole Language ............................................................................................. 11 Phonics...............................................................................................................11 Decoding .......... 12 ■ Encoding .......................................................................................................... 12 Word-calling .......................................................... 13 Phonem es................. .13 Morphemes .................................. 13 G raphem es........................................................................................................ 14 Onset and R im e ................................................. 14 Phonemic Awareness..................... 15 Phonological Awareness ................................................................................ 15 O rthography......................................................................................................15 Invented Spelling............................ 16 Lexicon ............................................................................................................ 16 Questions to be A nsw ered...........................................................................................16 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .................................................. 19 Approaches to Teaching Literacy ..............................................................................19 Reading by Spelling: the Alphabet M ethod.................................................19 The Whole Word Method ......... 20 Whole language...............................................................................................23 Explicit, Systematic Phonics .................................................... 25 The Issues..........................................................................................., .......... 28 TABLE OF CONTENTS-Continued Page Early Spontaneous Readers........................................................................................ 28 The Orthographic Structure of English .....................................................................34 Historical Influences ...................................................................................... 35 The Three Levels of the Structure of English ............................................. 37 Phonological Awareness .............................................................................................40 Syllables and Onset and R im e ...................................................