Phonics instruction and student achievement in whole language first-grade classrooms

THIS STUDY analyzed phonics teaching and learning in eight whole language first grades from October through May. Documentation included field notes of weekly half-day observations merged with transcriptions of teacher/student interactions during phonics instruction. Findings indicated that foundation concepts (phonemic and phonological awareness, phonemic segmentation) and letter-sound relationships were taught. Strategies were presented in tandem with skills. Phonics instruction occurred in various reading and writing activities typical of whole language classrooms. The writing program was a key phonics instructional context. Teachers differentiated phonics instruction based on learner development and ongoing assessments. During reading and writing conferences teachers documented student progress. They provided differentiated instruction across various contexts. Four pre and post assessments measuring encoding and decoding in isolation and in context documented achievement gains for 178 students. Pretest scores (range of 0-37) on Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words (HRSW) grouped students into three statistically contrasting clusters. Scores from the three remaining assessments were scaled together using the Rasch model to determine composite pre and post achievement scores. Comparison of pre and post scores using Rasch scaling documented gains in encoding and decoding knowledge. Group 1 (N = 123) demonstrated high pretest scores (HRSW 27-37) and achieved mean posttest Text Reading Level scores equivalent to Grade 5 (Composite gain = 7.15). Statistically comparable gains (6.08) were achieved by 13 students with limited HRSW pretest scores (2-14) and posttest Text Reading Level scores equivalent to preprimer texts. Highest gains (8.61) were achieved by 42 students (pretest HRSW 15-26) with posttest Text Reading Level scores equivalent to Grade 1 readers.