Abstract of

Connecting the Past With the Present: The Legacy and Spirit of the First-Grade Studies

Lyndon W. Searfoss

"The First-Grade Studies" have had a lasting impact on literacy research and practice. The author highlights several areas in which this can be demonstrated, and draws on Bond and Dykstra's original research questions to demonstrate the work's continuing influence. Topics highlighted include the role of the teacher and classroom characteristics, movement away from comparison studies, the challenge to reading readiness as the gatekeeper to early instruction, and the importance of instruction in phonics.

Abstract from Searfoss, L.W. (1997). Connecting the Past With the Present: The Legacy and Spirit of the First-Grade Studies. Reading Research Quarterly, 32(4), 433–438. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.32.4.6