Reading and learning to read irregular words

It is important that children reach a level of independence in their reading as quickly as possible, because independent reading is a powerful vehicle for further learning. Once children have some knowledge of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), they can begin to decode simple words, and this process of decoding helps form lexical representations in memory. However, words in the English language include numerous words with unpredictable grapheme-phoneme correspondences. 

This project explores the mechanisms by which children as well as adults learn to read words with irregular pronunciations, and also examines the effectiveness of systematic, explicit instruction when teaching children to read irregular words.