Michael Rosen presents a thorough criticism of the belief,
promoted by England’s Schools Minister Nick Gibb, that one kind of phonics
instruction is responsible for improvement on the PIRLS by English 9 and 10
year olds. He concludes with this
statement:
“Given that the PIRLS test was a comprehension test, and
given that comprehension is hugely aided by reading for pleasure, then I will
make the claim that the reading of these books is also a contributory factor
until such time can prove to me I'm wrong!”
http://michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/some-thoughts-on-improvement-in-reading.html
There is
overwhelming evidence that Michael Rosen is right. Reading for pleasure is by far the most
consistent and strongest predictor of performance on any reading test that
involves comprehension. This has been documented
in study after study, published as professional scientific papers in journals
and in books. Reading for pleasure emerges as the consistent winner in method
comparison studies, correlational studies, and in case histories.
Mr. Gibb
and his staff are apparently not aware of this research. Let me help: Of course I suggest beginning with my books
(The Power of Reading; Free Voluntary Reading), but a great deal of the
research is available for free at www.sdkrashen.com
(section on “free voluntary reading”).
See also:
McQuillan, J. 1998. The Literacy Crisis: False Claims and
Real Solutions. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing Company.
McQuillan,
J. 2017. Read to Ace the SAT, New Test Taking Tips. https://www.languagemagazine.com/2017/06/read-ace-sat/
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