Educating Young Children Volume 1 - Winter 2026 | Page 46

just one aspect of the science of reading. Research also shows there are many other domains of instruction that matter for literacy development.

Also, when we think about what children need to learn in the early childhood years, we are always interested in writing as well as reading! Writing and reading are mutually supportive activities. In fact, most English Language Arts standards consider reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language development. I typically say“ literacy instruction” because in early childhood, we are usually considering all of these domains.

I think some people who are using the term science of reading are specifically interested in studies that use scientific research methods. For example, there is a particular interest in experimental or quasi-experimental evidence( sometimes called randomized controlled trials) that help us to make causal decisions; for example, a decision about whether one instructional method supports children’ s learning better than another method. These studies are important as we think about research to inform our literacy instruction.

However, I think a broader definition is that science of reading is the body of research-based evidence using a range of research methods that we can use to answer questions about literacy development and instruction. For example, we need to address questions about

› How literacy develops for a broad range of children in different contexts

› What instruction is currently provided to children in schools and other educational settings

› Why instructional methods may or may not work, for whom, and under what conditions

› How we can design innovative and motivating methods and materials that meet the needs of all learners