[Reading-hall-of-fame] Please point me in the right direction

[Brian Cambourne]

Colleagues,
I've been  mulling over the following issue and need some help.

At the core of some phonics advocates' theories and research is that   
decoding is an essential pre-requisite of comprehension when reading  
an alphabetic based text. I interpret this to imply one can only  
comprehend ( "get to meaning") when reading an alphabetic text by  
going through sound first.

I've been looking for the definitive research or study which  
conclusively "proves" that one can only get to meaning by first going  
through sound when reading an alphabetically based writing system. So  
far I've not found one, but perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places.

  Can anyone in the RHF point me in  the direction of  any study or  
studies which support the claim that decoding to sound is an  
essentail or necessary pre-requisite for accessing the meaning of  
the  an alphabetically based writing system such as English?  Many of  
those in Australia I try to discuss this issue with become quite  
defensive (and often aggressive) and argue that it's "just common  
sense". I need your help in preparing a  paper on this issue

   Brian Cambourne


  Assoc. Prof. ( Dr) Brian Cambourne
Principal Fellow
  Faculty of Education
University of Wollongong
Northfields Rd Wollongong
AUSTRALIA
Phone: Overseas callers
Home 61-244-416182
email<brian_cambourne at uow.edu.au
  Mobile/Cell phone: 0408684368



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