Neuman, S.B. & Dickinson, D.K. (Eds.). (2001). Handbook of Early Literacy Research. Reviewed by Catherine O'Callaghan, Iona College

Neuman, S.B. & Dickinson, D.K. (Eds.). (2001). Handbook of Early Literacy Research. New York: Guilford Press Publications. 484 pp. $75       ISBN 1-57230-653-X Reviewed by Catherine O'Callaghan, Iona College October 3, 2001 The Handbook of Early Literacy Research is a comprehensive collection of the research agenda for literacy in early childhood. Its contributors read like a who's who of the field including; Catherine Snow, Dorothy Strickland, Peter Johnston, Anne Haas Dyson, Leslie Mandel Morrow and Paul Gee to name a few. The editors, Susan Neuman and David Dickinson, are also well qualified to compile a reference tool for early childhood educators. This volume resonates with political overtones as Susan Neuman has undertaken major responsibilities for the Department of Education as Assistant Secretary of Education. It behooves educators and policymakers to familiarize themselves with this volume due to the Bush Administration's agenda for early childhood literacy and assessment. The Handbook is notable for its emphasis on the shift of research in the field towards the critical cognitive period of early childhood. The compendium also focuses on the importance of oral language as the foundation of cognitive development which was also cited in the National Research Council's (2001) Eager to Learn report. The volume is divided into six sections which focus on the strands of interest in the field. The first section, "Ways of Conceptualizing Early Literacy Development" discusses the development of early literacy from diverse theoretical perspectives. The second section, "Strands of Early Literacy Development", discusses emergent reading and writing behaviors along the literacy continuum. "Home and Community Influences", the third section, looks at the sociocultural context of literacy acquisition and the issues of language diversity. "Schooling Influences: The Preschool Years" highlights quality preschool programs in the United States and Europe which facilitate emergent literacy. This topic is discussed further in the following section, "Instructional Materials and Classroom Practices: which illustrates specific strategies to utilize in early childhood classrooms. The handbook concludes with the sixth section, "Special Intervention Efforts" which discusses effective programs that service youngsters at risk for literacy failure. This review will focus on the critical issues of early literacy research which are highlighted in this volume: cognitive research, oral language and phonological training. Cognitive Research An important stance of this handbook is the continued innovations in the field through cognitive studies. "Brains, Genes and the Environment in Reading Development" by Richard K. Olson and Javier Gayan explores the link between genetics and environmental influences on reading development. The authors caution that the studies described in this section researched the genetic backgrounds of participants who were at least eight years old, due to the scarcity of research on this topic with preschool children. However, Olson and Gayan present a variety of studies which suggest that language deficits in phonemic awareness and related problems with decoding may be significantly heritable. The authors state that genetic linkage evidence does indicate a statistical relationship between a region of DNA and reading disability. However, further research is necessary to map the specific strand of DNA responsible for reading disability. Olson and Gayan conclude that as neuroimaging improves, cognitive research will become an important field in the twenty-first century. As our knowledge of genetic linkages and environmental influences expands, Olson and Gayan argue that early intervention might compensate for hereditary or environmental factors. Oral Language The Handbook on Early Literacy Research reiterates the findings that a key factor in successful early literacy acquisition is immersion in a rich oral language environment. Rita Watson in "Literacy and Oral Language: Implications for Early Literacy Acquisition" presents a new argument for its importance by stating that the relationship between oral language and literacy is bidirectional. As children are exposed to different text in shared readings, read alouds or show and tell, they develop an understanding for different forms of discourse. These new conceptualizations of text become the foundation for metalanguage and critical thinking. Watson concludes that participating in communicative events facilitates the acquisition of competence to succeed in literacy in school. Development of this communicative competence through immersion in oral language becomes an important building block for early success in literacy. Phonological Training The final topic highlighted in the Handbook on Early Literacy Research is phonological training. This issue is discussed at great length which is not surprising considering that many of its authors and editor, Susan Neuman, strongly advocate early immersion in phonics skills. Marilyn Adams in "Alphabetic Anxiety and Explict Systematic Phonics Instruction: A Cognitive Science Perspective" presents the stance of the editors and fellow authors by emphatically stating that the three most recent research reviews such as the National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that explicit, systematic phonics instruction is of special value in learning to read. This argument is not new to Marilyn Adams, who has been a firm advocate for phonics instruction for many years. However in this chapter, Adams defends her position by citing new research in cognitive science. Recent research has discarded the serial model of processing text and replaced it with parallel processing. As a fluent reader recognizes printed text, meaning and phonological processing occur simultaneously. This process rests on automaticity which can only be acquired through training in the alphabetic principle and phonemic segmentation. Adams contends that early phonological training is the necessary "first step" towards automaticity which will then allow the child to delve into construction of meaning while reading. Steven Stahl reiterates the case for phonics instruction in his chapter, "Teaching Phonics and Phonological Awareness" by also citing the National Reading Panel (2000). Stahl critiques several strategies for phonics instruction such as Reading Recovery and decoding by analogy. He contends that explicit training as provided by Reading Recovery is advantageous as opposed to analytic phonics which does not directly teach phonics skills. The stance of the Handbook of Early Literacy Research is that it is not advocating only one method of systematic phonics instruction. However, the authors do want to defend their position on the importance of early phonological training by repeatedly citing the National Reading Panel (2000). However, recent criticisms of the National Reading Panel's methodology were that it excluded qualitative studies from its review. Critics maintain that qualitative studies look at literacy instruction in its true context of the classroom and therefore would have presented very different findings. The majority of early childhood educators agree that knowledge of the alphabetic principle and phonemic awareness are prerequisites for literacy success. However, the authors' adamant stance that explicit, systematic phonics instruction is the only method for early childhood classrooms is still a matter for debate. Conclusion The Handbook of Early Literacy Research is an authoritative volume on the field of early childhood research. It is an excellent tool for reading specialists, teacher educators, staff developers and administrators interested in joining the discourse about improving the lives of our nation's children. Literacy continues to be the gateway for improved economic conditions and educational advantages. This Handbook of Early Literacy Research will continue to keep literacy on the national agenda as we struggle to give every child a literate future. References National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Development. National Research Council. (2001). Eager to learn: Educating our preschoolers. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. About the Reviewer Catherine O'Callaghan, Ph.D. Iona College, New York