In this experiment, we examined whether beginning readers benefit more from grapheme–phoneme decoding (GPD) than from whole-syllable decoding (WSD) instruction in learning to read and write words. Sixty Brazilian Portuguese-speaking first graders (M age = 6 years 1 month) who knew letter names but could not read or write words were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. The GPD group was taught to decode 40 consonant–vowel (CV) syllables by sounding out and blending grapheme–phoneme constituents (combinations of 10 consonants and five vowels). The WSD group was taught to decode the same CV syllables as whole graphosyllabic units. The individual grapheme–phoneme (IGP) group was taught the same 15 grapheme–phonemes as single units but no decoding. Groups were taught to a mastery criterion. Results showed that GPD instruction was much more effective than WSD and IGP instruction in enabling beginners to read CV syllables, multisyllabic words, and pseudowords; to learn to read words from memory; to write words; and to segment and blend spoken words phonemically. Also, GPD instruction facilitated phonological memory for spoken pseudowords. Despite receiving much practice in reading whole CV syllables, the WSD group learned few, if any, grapheme–phoneme subunits. Results support theories that reading instruction is most effective when it begins by teaching students to decode with small grapheme–phoneme units rather than with larger syllabic units, even when syllables are salient spoken and written units in the writing system.

中文翻译：

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与教学全音节解码相比，教授初学者使用字素-音素子单元解码辅音-元音音节有助于阅读和拼写

在这个实验中，我们检查了初学者在学习读写单词方面是否比从全音节解码 (WSD) 指令中受益更多。六十名巴西葡萄牙语一年级学生（M 年龄 = 6 岁 1 个月）知道字母名称但不会读或写单词的人被随机分配到三个条件之一。GPD 小组被教导通过读出和混合字素 - 音素成分（10 个辅音和 5 个元音的组合）来解码 40 个辅音 - 元音 (CV) 音节。WSD 小组被教导将相同的 CV 音节解码为整个音节单元。单个字素-音素 (IGP) 组被教导相同的 15 个字素-音素作为单个单元，但没有解码。小组被教导掌握标准。结果表明，GPD 教学比 WSD 和 IGP 教学在使初学者阅读 CV 音节、多音节词和伪词方面更有效；学习从记忆中阅读单词；写字；并以音位方式分割和混合口语单词。还，GPD 教学促进了口语伪词的语音记忆。尽管在阅读整个 CV 音节方面接受了很多练习，但 WSD 小组几乎没有学习到字素 - 音素亚单位（如果有的话）。结果支持这样的理论，即阅读教学在开始时教学生用小的字素-音素单位而不是较大的音节单位进行解码是最有效的，即使音节是写作系统中突出的口语和书面单位。