Instructional psychology and teaching reading: Ending the reading wars

Abstract

This article explores the ‘reading wars’ from the perspective of instructional psychology, which focuses on the environmental and instructional factors that facilitate students’ progress in learning to read. It draws on research (computational analysis and classroom-based experimental studies) to inform a novel intervention that teaches reading through systematic synthetic phonics and real books, rather than the more traditional phonically decodable reading schemes. The article discusses: (1) the criteria that inform curriculum design, (2) the instructional principles that underpin effective teaching, (3) teaching methodology, (4) an instructional analysis that explains why students are perceived to have difficulties in learning to read, and (5) the implications of instructional psychology for educational psychologists.

Keywords::

• instructional psychology
• direct instruction
• real books
• optimal teaching
• systematic synthetic phonics

Financial support

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflicts of interest

The Optima Reading program and Real Books Database were developed by Jonathan Solity, who is the Director of Optima Psychology (a psychological and educational research based consultancy) and an Honorary Lecturer at University College London. Optima Psychology undertakes research into reading, writing, spelling, language and maths and offers a consultancy service to local authorities and schools. Optima Reading draws on a wide range of research, including elements of the original Early Reading Research framework for teaching reading.

Ethical standards

The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional committees on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008.