The I.T.A. (Initial Teaching Alphabet) Reading Experiment Author(s): John Downing Source: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Nov., 1964), pp. 105-110 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20197865 Accessed: 20-04-2015 11:15 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Wiley and International Reading Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Reading Teacher. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 192.38.33.14 on Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:06 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ?.toa. (Initial The Alphabet) Teaching Reading Experiment by John Tn Downing 1961 September four hundred to in England children began a new alphabet to read with to give young chil specially designed learn dren confidence greater certainty through a in the be in reading of success stage. ginning Sir James Pitman (4) is the in ventor of the Initial Teaching Alpha bet (earlier known as the Augmented Roman Alphabet). young beginners simple and more His idea is that should use the more reliable tial Teaching Alphabet) have become confident i.t.a. (Ini until they and fluent in reading printed in it, and that then should transfer their skill they to reading confidence and books books in the traditional printed alphabet and spelling of English. The charac ters of i.t.a. and its rules of spelling to have been very carefully designed make it easy for children to transfer from i.t.a. to standard print. A com plete description of i.t.a. and its spell ing rules has been provided previous *y(i,2). How i.t.a. Helps In the research Reading Research ning reading books are being held constant in the two groups of classes to control (this includes an attempt the "Hawthorne If the Effect"). attainments of the two reading differ widely, groups therefore, we trace cause to the differences in may the alphabet and spelling. The progress of the two groups has been very different indeed. After only five months the four- and five-year old who were beginners using i.t.a were materials in the significantly increased lead, and their superiority as the months went by. By the end of the first school year the average i.t.a. child was at Primer 2 of the the average reading program, while t.o. pupil was still at Primer 1. Before the middle of the second year the i.t.a. child had moved to average Primer 4, while the t.o. boy or girl had got to Primer 2. After two years the position was beyond Primer 5 for the average pupil (Grade 2-ii) in the i.t.a. classes as compared with Primer 3 in the classes using t.o. 1 gives more Table details of the progress conducted Unit the by of the Uni Institute of Educa versity of London attainments of children using tion, i.t.a. are being the compared with achievements ?f pupils learning with traditional orthography (to.). As far as possible all factors other than the and spelling in the begin alphabet The Load of the group. Traditional Beginner's of Learning Traditionally printed English over loads the beginner in three ways : 1. Too many characters. The t.o. has to learn two or more beginner different characters for each letter of as well as b, G and the alphabet?B 105 This content downloaded from 192.38.33.14 on Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:06 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 106 THE Distribution Frequency One Year, Eighteen Percentage, Reader Primer Reached Book 5 Beyond At Book 5 4 3 2 1 At Introductory Book Nonstarter 18Mo. 10.4 4.35 9.95 16.95 20.6 24.45 8.7 4.6 35.85 7.75 13.1 16.2 11.6 11.4 3.65 0.5 413 413 of Children Number Months, Experimental Primer Median Position 4 the pupil using g, etc. In contrast, has only one single i.t.a. materials form for each letter of the printed are needed, capitals alphabet. Where i.t.a. simply uses a larger version of same the 2. Too case lower sentations. In repre there i.t.a. is never the than one way of printing same word. For dog the i.t.a. pupil has to learn one visual pattern only instead of the five or more different more sets of print, dog characters conventional in for example: dog Dog DOG. 3. Too many phonic print-signals. In our traditional alphabet and spell ing there is a wide variety of ways of in print the restricted num signalling ber of basic sound units of English. in t.o. there are at least For example, of spelling different ways eighteen common to such words as the sound zoo, shoe, grew, through, do, blue. In i.t.a. this variety is reduced to one single symbol for example: for the single sound, Control Group 2Yr. 1 Yr. 18Mo. 2Yr. 53.6 7.85 14.4 9.8 9.8 3.6 0.3 0.65 0.7 1.2 1.7 6.4 13.0 45.4 23.9 7.7 2.6 2.2 7.85 14.7 27.35 33.35 10.5 1.45 15.6 4.9 15.25 22.45 17.85 19.7 3.45 0.8 306 687 610 687 Beyond Book 5 zea, jha, tfirco), dea, groa, the Thus beginner down by a heavy too many too characters, bloa. t.o. with weighed redundancies: is burden of unnecessary unnecessary many too many For print-signals. i.t.a. the load is visual patterns, unnecessary phonic the beginner with for he has only lightened, greatly one form to learn for each letter, one each for visual pattern only in and word and sentence, whole cases only one letter to learn most for Dog at Reached Percentage, Group whole-word shape. whole-word many Primer Years Reading and Two Showing 1 Yr. TEACHER 1 TABLE Percentage READING each of sound units or the forty of English. so basic and More i.t.a.?Simpler Reliable for the English Unfortunately speaking child, his traditional printed and code is extraordinarily complex The inconsistent. i.t.a. code, how ever, has: 1. Consistent In t.o. let ters cannot to keep the same sound spelling. be relied upon for value, the example, use of the letter o in do, go, women, gone, more one. In consistent contrast, is much i.t.a. as a code for spoken This content downloaded from 192.38.33.14 on Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:06 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions NOVEMBER 107 1964 English. Each of the different in these words dco), , wimen, g gon, the letters ch are used in t.o. to sound in chat represent a different sounds pie, wun from either of the sounds indicated c and A cat and hat. by separately in printed by a different code-breaker the young would anticipate. He, therefore, finds that he can rely on the code, and is not led to doubt his rational approach is signalled symbol, as to such problems. 2. Consistency direction. English we In of read traditionally printed words from left to right, but within many words the letters are not to be left to right to left to read right the final sound three. signalled by letter number to In i.t.a. the left right rule of reading is never broken, for example : maed 3. Reduced complexity of phonic The traditional symbols. alphabet does not have enough letters to pro vide one letter for each of the forty or so sound units of English; instead, letters have to be used ayer again in a variety of combinations. For exam for the Schonell Test, Fifth First Group N (fiat i.t.a. a more attempt to make reliable code for young beginners seems to have produced dramatic re sults in our research. The pupils to read and write with i.t.a. learning demonstrated great superiority on in word building. For instance, the Schonell word read (6) graded ing test at the end of the first year the average i.t.a. learner could read 19 test words or more on the i.t.a. version of the test, whereas the aver t.o. pupil conventional using print could read only 5 test words on the same test in conventional print. At the beginning of the fifth term (six months later) the average scores were 37 test words read correctly in the i.t.a. group and 11 in the t.o. 2 gives more detailed group. Table results of this test. age This superiority of the i.t.a. pupils is not confined to phonic word-build in com ing. They are also advanced and Test of speed First Year Second N sentence in accuracy prehension, Standard Deviation Mean be thus : This at End of the Given Entry Term After Schonell can character special used for this sound, reading, TABLE 2 Results a i.t.a. have in the early stage of learning. primitive decoding in the word made the For example, first sound is signalled by the first letter on the left, but the second sound is signalled by letters two and four and the child must reverse from from read In Ac reading. and Schonell in the Test Standard Deviation Mean Experimental 345 18.8 20.7 345 37.1 27^0 Control 623 5.2 6.6 623 10.9 10.6 significantly t test). at N.B. significance The means for both between Schonell the tests two differ groups student's (applying the .0001 This content downloaded from 192.38.33.14 on Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:06 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions level of recent report cording to Southgate's their creative too, is (7) writing, in both and quality quantity. superior Children Standard In the schools to Transfer Readily Print using transfer each i.t.a. to reading he when individual print our ex ly is ready for this step. In a very few children have periments from i.t.a. to stand been transferred ard print after only two or three to reach but most months, appear the child makes traditional the necessary level of fluency in i.t.a. the second year of schooling. during in reading i.t.a. is desira Fluency be transfer is executed, ble before cause Sir James Pitman in his design in i.t.a. of the alphabet has preserved extent compatible the greatest with the purpose of easier teaching? those same cues, generally situated in the top part of the line of print, which we use when we have achieved fluent reading of the conventionally of words do printed page. A minority in appear drastically change more can guess these ance, but children and comprehension than accuracy children who have been learning with t.o. from the beginning. For instance, on the Neale of Reading Analysis at after (4), eighteen months Ability school, the average i.t.a. pupil scored 23 for accuracy and 8 for compre a high level of has in i.t.a. been achieved, fluency the the pupil will have developed minimal the skills of necessary using context. cues and a ensure Once clues which contextual smooth achieved i.t.a. pupils very on scores tests in the printed superior and traditional spelling. alphabet i.t.a. The children who began with to t.o. have later transferred and read the latter with much greater as com as compared with 19 words for the average child in t.o. had been in which from the start. See Tables 3, minute per minute the classes taught 4, and 5 for details of these results. TABLE 3 Reading Neale by the as Measured of Reading Ability in t.o.) Tested Groups Accuracy Analysis (Both Group N Mean Standard Deviation Experimental 146 22.9 17.4 Control 190 9.3 11.9 N.B. Significant two at groups Kolmogorov-Smirnov the between difference cent .1 per level Test (D=21.46). using TABLE 4 by as Measured Reading Comprehension of Reading the Neale Ability Analysis in t.o.) Tested (Both Groups Group will the t.o., reading pared with scores of 9 and 4 respec tively for the child who had been on t.o. from the outset. The i.t.a. pupil reads an average of 34 t.o. words per N Mean Standard Deviation Experimental 146 7.9 6.1 Control 190 3.5 4.4 transfer. after beginning months Eighteen to learn to read with the new alpha bet when hension ?to from TEACHER READING 108_THE N.B. Significant two at groups Kolmogorov-Smirnov between difference cent level .1 per Test (D=21.46) the using . complete report on the first two years of the i.t.a. reading experiment in Britain has just been published? we have subse Downing (3)?but A This content downloaded from 192.38.33.14 on Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:06 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions NOVEMBER 109 1964 TABLE 5 by the as Measured of Reading Ability in t.o.) Tested Groups Rate Reading Neale Analysis (Both Experimental 146 33.? Control 190 18.7 N.B. Difference not significant Test (D=17.14). between using Standard Deviation Mean N Group 24.2 Spelling Test 1961 (t.o.) , September Schonell's Graded Word Entrants, A Test Spelling groups Kolmogorov-Smirnov (reading age 7.4 years) for the t.o. started out with children who a conservative estimate of Thus 24.1 for the average effectiveness saves one that it is year in learn pupil to t.o. read ing i.t.a.'s i.t.a. TABLE 6 two age 7.1 years). year (chronological The average t.o. score for i.t.a. pupils are still on (this includes some who was 34.4 (reading age i.t.a. readers) as compared with 8.4 years), only of turned, but Table 6 shows the analy sis of the data so far available. 18.9 the quently analysed the results of giving test in t.o. to both the Schonell course of their third in the groups Effect Earlier this year a t.o. spelling test was administered to both i.t.a. and t.o. groups. At the time of writing not all the answer papers have been re on Writing and Spelling Over-all Scores Comparison Group t.o. Group (N-318) (N-602) Mean 28.7 24.1 S.D. 16.4 N.B. level. i.t.a. t=4.34, 14.0 at significant .1 per cent It is noteworthy that by the mid of their third year of schooling the i.t.a. pupils are able to spell t.o. better than the words significantly dle have been reading and t.o. only. test was the spelling Although t.o. to both in of chil groups given children who writing with dren, 49 (15 per cent) of the 318 on the first two years report of the i.t.a. experiment (3) stated to be that creative writing appears in i.t.a. much classes, and improved some teachers claim that "the stand The ard of creative writing has improved These almost beyond comparison." claims are at present under objective at the Reading Re investigation to i.t.a. children had not transferred t.o. at the time of testing. It should be pointed out that these spelling re sults are and that the incomplete of the two information background terms in of sex, groups intelligence, and social class has not yet been de termined. In conclusion, be exercised to date, findings search Unit, but already they have some support from Southgate, who observed in her has independent must study of i.t.a. (7) that "Free writing in the class appeared more spontane ous, prolific and correctly spelt than that experiment a fruitful been found. is usual with such young children." i.t.a. caution although in respect of the the results in Britain line of of the indicate inquiry has is the Reading (John A. Downing Research the Officer of Reading Re This content downloaded from 192.38.33.14 on Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:06 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions search Unit, Institute University of London of Education.) 6. References 7. Journal Experiment," 109 (1961), of Arts, F. Psychology Schonell, Reading. 1949. 1. Downing, Roman Reading 336. John Alphabet Teacher A. "The Augmented to Read," for Learning 16 (March 325 1963), Initial Downing, J. A. The Teaching New and Illustrated. Explained Alphabet York: Macmillan, 1964. Ex 3. Downing, i.t.a. Reading J. A. The Evans London: 1964. Bros., periment. 4. Neale, M. Neale of Reading Analysis London: 1963. Macmillan, Ability. to Read: An 5. Pitman, I. J. "Learning 2. Federal Support TEACHER READING 110_THE Edinburgh: of Royal Society 149-180. and Teaching of & Boyd, Oliver Roman Al V. Southgate, "Augmented An Outsider's Re Experiment: phabet 16 Educational Review, (1963), port," 32-41. (This article was originally uled for the October issue which journal, ing instruction editor regrets delayed for Reading had as beginning its theme. that printing sched of this read The problems publication.) Instruction A in the United States is marked instruction significant point in reading by the inclusion of reading in the extension of the National Defense Education two kinds of help IRA supported the passage of this bill, under which Act. to improve the teaching of reading. Under Title III, the purchase of certain books and equipment will be made possible on a matching basis through state educational agencies. Title XI will provide for institutes will be available for the improvement of reading. as for the implementation of the new law will be circulated soon as possible by the U. S. Office of Education, and further information will be published in IRA journals as it is available. Guidelines This content downloaded from 192.38.33.14 on Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:06 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
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