Decodable text: A review of what we know

Abstract

This article reviews the literature on decodable text, instructional material containing words with phonically regular relationships that the reader has been taught. In doing so the work establishes a definition for decodability by consolidating previous quantitative and qualitative analyses of words in text and by examining other word features. In addition, the theoretical purposes of decodable text are inspected, as are the very few studies that specifically examine the effects of text decodability on readers. The findings of this review are synthesized into a theoretical model that suggests a specific developmental juncture in which decodable text may be useful. In suggesting future research the work concludes that additional analyses of words in text are not necessary. Instead research should focus on the following: 1) experimental examinations of readers’ interactions with decodable text; 2) inspection of readers’ behavior as they read text with varying degrees of decodability; and 3) operation of text decodability with readers of varying abilities.

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