The impact of a whole language program on the reading and writing development of grade two children

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the impact of a whole language program on the reading and writing development of grade two students. A whole language and a basal skills approach to literacy acquisition were compared. One hundred and four grade two students were equally divided into two groups. The subjects in the experimental group were exposed to whole language in grade one and grade two and the subjects in the control group were taught using a skills approach in grade one and a whole language approach in grade two. The subjects were tested at the beginning and towards the end of grade two on their achievement levels on standardized tests of reading comprehension, meaning vocabulary and sight vocabulary. An evaluation of writing ability was also carried out according to selected criteria. -- The results showed that the subjects in the experimental whole language group scored significantly higher on tests of writing ability after one year of exposure to whole language than did the control group. After two years, the experimental group scored significantly higher on reading comprehension and writing ability than did the control group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in meaning vocabulary and sight vocabulary, however, the relationship was in the expected direction. In sum, it was concluded that whole language intervention at the grade one level not only significantly improved writing ability in grade one but also significantly improved reading comprehension and writing ability in grade two.