Training of Word Recognition with Willy Wordbear: A Syllable-Based Reading Promotion Program for Elementary School

Being able to read words fluently and accurately is an important milestone in learning to read but not all children reach it. For weak readers, it is often difficult to make the transition from letter-by-letter reading to visual word recognition through orthographic comparison processes using larger (sub-)lexical units. The syllable seems to provide a bridge to orthographic decoding for children who learn to read German. Against this background, this replication study investigated the effectiveness of a syllable-based reading training on the visual word recognition and reading comprehension of second graders in an experimental pre-post design. To this end, 101 children whose word recognition performance in a standardized reading test was below the mean value in comparison to the classroom norm were randomly assigned to the experimental group or a waiting control group. Linear models revealed significant improvements in orthographic decoding in the experimental group after completion of the 24-session small group training. Children who received the training of repeated reading and segmentation of frequent syllables were able to recognize words faster and more accurately. These findings are further evidence of the effectiveness of the training for promoting the recognition of written words.