From "Problematic" to "[We] Can Never Have Enough": Perspectives on Decodable Texts in Online Resources

• In Event: Reading Research 2

Abstract

Literacy researchers agree that decodability is part of text accessibility. However, policies and practices regarding decodability vary. This theoretical paper examines: What is the evidence for using decodable texts for early reading instruction? And what does the evidence on decodability suggest for research, practice, and policy? First, we define decodable texts and alternatives, and contrast lesson-to-text match with reader-text match. Then, we examine the texts historically used for beginning reading instruction and review the current literature on decodability. We show that the instructional value of manipulating decodability remains unsettled science despite over twenty years of mandates for decodable texts. We conclude with an emergent model of text accessibility and explore its potential uses in research, practice, and policy.

Authors

• Catherine Anne Lammert, Texas Tech University

• Samuel DeJulio, The University of Texas - San Antonio