Memorandum submitted by the National Literacy
Trust
NATIONAL LITERACY
TRUST
1. The National Literacy Trust is pleased
to submit evidence to the Education and Skills Select Committee's
inquiry into Teaching Children to Read. The National Literacy
Trust, founded in 1993, is an independent charity dedicated to
building a nation in which everyone enjoys the skills, self-esteem
and pleasure that literacy can bring. Our website is visited by
over 6,000 unique visitors a day and provides a "one-stop
shop" for all those seeking information on literacy.
THE RESPONSE
2. The National Literacy Trust welcomes
the Select Committee's examination of departmental policy and
guidance on the teaching of reading to children in schools. We
have broadly supported the literacy strategies developed by the
DfES for primary and key stage 3 children, and are delighted that
the systematic introduction of phonics is now embedded in virtually
all primary school teaching. The issue now is the nature and timing
of the introduction of phonics, rather than the teaching of phonics
per se.
3. We believe that both synthetic and analytic
approaches to teaching phonics have merit. However, we also believe
that more research needs to be conducted to identify which approach
is best suited for which learner. We therefore welcome the Committee's
suggested review of the research evidence regarding the relative
weight given to teaching strategies within the curriculum. Overall,
the National Literacy Trust feels that this is a highly emotive
area that is best guided by a sound research basis.
4. The literacy strategies have recommended
a balanced approach, which the Trust would generally endorse.
We believe that to create the most enthusiastic readers it is
critical that we take into account the different learning styles
of individuals. Research has also repeatedly shown that boys'
lack of engagement with literacy is one of the major causes of
their underachievement. We therefore believe that potential gender
differences in physical and cognitive development need to be recognised
and addressed in future literacy teaching.
BEYOND PHONOLOGICAL
SKILLS
5. The National Literacy Trust recommends
that in order to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the most
effective reading strategies, the Committee also needs to consider
the following three inter-connected areas in its investigation:
reading for pleasure, speaking and listening, and literacy practices
in the home and community.
READING FOR
PLEASURE AND
READING MOTIVATION
6. The amount children read for pleasure
is a major contributor to their reading achievement. Reading for
pleasure allows children to experience other worlds and roles
in their imagination. As well as contributing to their reading
abilities, this involvement also aids their personal and social
development. The OECD Reading for Change study (2002) of 15-year-olds
showed that reading enjoyment is more important for children's
educational success than their families' socio-economic status.
Yet, the PIRLS (2001, see Twist et al, 2003) study of 10-year-olds
indicated that although children in England have greater reading
skills, they are less likely to enjoy reading than children from
other countries. Indeed, one unintended consequence of the primary
strategy has been the disappearance in some schools of those times
and areas that primary teachers traditionally used to nurture
a love of reading.
7. Two further factors appear to be important
in teaching children to read, namely reading motivation and reading
engagement. Reading motivation is a multi-dimensional construct
that encompasses various forms of motivation, learning styles,
self-efficacy (ie the belief in one's capabilities) and social
norms (eg cultural traditions and social customs). It has become
increasingly apparent that the acquisition of reading skills demands
a large amount of effort and motivation (Wang & Guthrie, 2004).
Research also indicates that high reading motivation and positive
attitudes towards reading are associated with higher reading achievement
and frequent reading (eg Baker & Wigfield, 1999). Despite
the centrality of motivational issues to learning to read, these
have rarely been the focus of reading strategies.
SPEAKING AND
LISTENING
8. Phonological skills are of fundamental
importance when learning to read. However, other facets of language,
such as listening comprehension and vocabulary, are also crucial
for reading comprehension (Nation & Snowling, 2004). Recent
research has shown the importance of pre-school speaking and listening
skills in supporting early literacy (eg Catts & Kamhi, 1999).
Similarly, oral skills in the pre-school years have been related
to later reading and writing skills (Griffin et al, 2004).
It is therefore crucial that we encourage a rich language environment
in the home and early school years as a foundation of word reading
skills (Snow, 2001).
9. Recognising that the key to helping young
children become confident communicators lies in encouraging parents
and carers to talk to them more. The National Literacy Trust has
launched Talk To Your Baby, a campaign that promotes the message
to parents and carers that communicating with their children matters.
LITERACY PRACTICES
IN THE
HOME AND
COMMUNITY
10. The foundations for successful reading
instruction are laid in the early years when families can help
their children to acquire the necessary early language and book
skills, which are the predispositions for later learning. Empirical
studies have shown that pre-school literacy experiences are strong
predictors of early literacy growth and later reading comprehension
(eg Savage, 2004).
11. Although schools clearly have responsibility
for ensuring that all children develop the necessary literacy
skills, the importance of home and community influences to learning
to read also needs to be recognised more widely. Families provide
the foundations for early literacy development, and a recent research
review showed that at-home parenting has a significant impact
on pupil achievement; an influence that is more important than
parents' social class or level of education. Also, community literacy
partners are important in creating enthusiastic readers. However,
it also needs to be recognised that in order to support schools
effectively, literacy approaches involving the community and the
home need to be driven and facilitated by senior management in
schools, local authorities and other partners.
REFERENCES TO
WORK CITED
IN THIS
RESPONSE
Baker, L & Wigfield, A (1999). Dimensions
of children's motivation for reading and their relations to reading
activity and reading achievement. Reading Research Quarterly,
34, 452-476.
Catts, H W & Kamhi, A G (1999). Language
and reading disabilities. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Griffin, T M, Hemphill, L, Camp, L & Palmer
Wolf, D (2004). Oral discourse in the preschool years and later
literacy skills. First Language, 24, 123-147.
Nation, K & Snowling, M J (2004). Beyond
phonological skills: Broader language skills contribute to the
development of reading. Journal of Research in Reading, 27, 342-356.
OECD (2002). Reading for Change: performance
and engagement across countries. Results from PISA 2000. Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Savage, R & Carless, S (2004). Predicting
curriculum and test performance at age seven years from pupil
background, baseline skills and phonological awareness at age
five. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 155-171.
Snow, C (2001). The Centrality of Language:
a longitudinal study of language and literacy development in low-income
children. London: Institute of Education, University of London,
2001.
Twist, L, Sainsbury, M, Woodthorpe, A &
Whetton, C (2003) PIRLS Progress in International Literacy Study,
National Report for England: reading all over the world. Slough:
NFER.
Wang, J H Y & Guthrie, J T (2004). Modeling
the effects of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, amount
of reading and past reading achievement on text comprehension
between US and Chinese students. Reading Research Quarterly, 39,
162-186.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The National Literacy Trust would be pleased
to provide further evidence at the Committee's request, particularly
with respect to the role of the home, children's early language
development and reading for pleasure (the Appendix below details
our work).
APPENDIX
The National Literacy Trust is dedicated to
building a literate nation, and the Trust's work focuses on:
— providing a support network: our
web-based literacy support network pulls together the best ideas
and information to help everyone share good practice;
— putting ideas into practice: our
practical initiatives—Reading Is Fundamental, UK, the National
Reading Campaign, Talk To Your Baby, Reading The Game, Reading
Connects and the Vital Link—develop ways of working in partnership
to turn promising ideas into effective action;
— promoting a systems approach: our
emphasis on all the factors that affect literacy achievement encourages
those interventions that will be most effective in the long term.
December 2004
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