Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert
We checked this card's citation and the finding we state against the source's own page or record in October 2026.
What it found
A tutorial review of the science of learning to read, from first letter-sound knowledge to skilled comprehension. It explains why phonics is central in an alphabetic writing system like English, and also what else children must learn to become expert readers, and calls for an end to the reading wars.
What kind of study it is
- Design
- Review
- Weight
- Adds context: a review or a weaker design, which doesn't move a card's rating on its own.
Read it
doi.org/10.1177/1529100618772271
We link to the source and summarize it in our own words. We don't host or copy papers.
Cited in the Library
Cite this study
Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618772271
Checked against the source in October 2026. All studies · How we rate the evidence · Something wrong? Tell us.