Educational Research Studies (a Brief Summary)

The research literature shows a core of well-conducted training (teaching intervention) studies that are generally accepted to have shown a causal link between phonological processing skills and reading. So in 1985 the researcher Peter Bryant made this point: "Training studies in which alternative explanatory factors are equated across experimental and control groups, and only the experimental group receives the phonological skills training are the only way to prove causation" (Bryant, 1985). (Many other studies were also conducted that showed strong correlations between phonological skills deficits and reading difficulties.) Early training (intervention) studies that are credited with such experimental designs are usually listed as descriptions follow: Bryant & Bradley (1983) conducted a study that was longitudinal and provided training. They found 'at risk' children of four to five years of age (65 out of 400 screened originally) and trained two groups, twice a week for two years in rhyming and alliteration, and rhyming and alliteration plus letter sound