The process of learning to read is complex and involves a variety of cognitive mechanisms that interact with each other. Key components include phonological awareness, decoding, and the roles of phonological and visual memory. These components are central to many theoretical models, such as the Simple View of Reading by Gough & Tunmer (1986), which describes reading as a combination of decoding and language comprehension.
Phonological awareness
This is the ability to recognize and consciously manipulate the sound structure of language. It includes identifying syllables, rhymes, and individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Children need the ability to break spoken language into its sound components to understand the principle of letter-sound correspondence. Activities like syllable segmentation and phoneme analysis help to foster this ability.
Decoding
Decoding refers to the process of translating written letters (graphemes) into their corresponding sounds (phonemes) to read words. It is one of the first skills acquired when learning how to read. Decoding is essential for reading new and unfamiliar words. It requires precise knowledge of letter-sound correspondences and the automatic application of these rules. Words can be decoded phonologically by decoding individual letter-sound correspondences. Frequently encountered words are recognized as whole units without decoding as they are stored in our memory.
The role of phonological memory
Phonological memory is a component of working memory that allows for the short-term storage and processing of speech sounds. It enables the retention of letters and sounds in working memory to combine them into words. It supports the ability to read longer words and process multi-syllabic words.
The role of visual memory
Visual memory is the ability to store and recall visual information, such as the shapes and structures of letters and words. It plays a crucial role in the automatic recognition of words. Decoding and visual memory go hand in hand. Once the same word has been decoded time and time again, it turns over to visual memory and we start recognizing the words just by the shapes of every letter in the word.
In conclusion: Learning to read requires the collaboration of various cognitive processes: Phonological awareness and decoding are essential for understanding the alphabetic principle, while phonological and visual memory play key roles in processing and storing information
