An education journalist is calling for governments to follow the science of teaching reading, saying the inconsistent way young children are instructed may mean they end up using "the habits of poor readers".
American reporter Emily Hanford has spent years covering the so-called "reading wars", which are often characterised as the debate between "whole language" and phonics-based instruction.
In her podcast Sold a Story, Hanford argues the "whole language" reading intervention programme Reading Recovery, developed by New Zealand researcher Marie Clay, is inconsistent with science.
Currently, most New Zealand schools follow a "balanced literacy" approach that emphasises different teaching methods depending on the abilities of different students.
This results in a lack of consistent phonics instruction. It can mean students are taught using a "whole language" approach. This encourages students to use a story's context, their own experiences, and visual elements to work out how to read a particular word.
In contrast, "structured literacy" focuses on letters - and their corresponding sounds - that make up the word.
Hanford told Q+A that learning to read "is not a natural process", unlike speaking.
That means it's important to follow the science of the best ways to teach children how to read, she said.
"One of the big insights from my investigation into the science of reading is that in the United States, and in New Zealand, many kids are actually taught the strategies of struggling readers. So, they're learning the habits of poor readers right from the start."
She said, as a reporter, she noticed that when educators in the US saw there was new research about how to teach reading, it would be added to the repertoire of instruction instead of replacing other methods like a whole language approach.
"We're trying to get rid of that foundation, that core idea that conflicts with the scientific research."
She said there was no point in just adding phonics-based instruction to what she believed was a fundamentally flawed teaching approach.
"This is not just about phonics, but a good, direct, explicit instruction in how the written language works is really, really key to becoming a good reader."
Hanford said it was difficult to shift teaching methods in the US because it remains highly politicised. She said teaching phonics is associated "with a more traditional, conservative, or even now sort of Republican approach".
Meanwhile, balanced literacy "was more of a progressive approach where things are discovering things on their own", she said.
"I think because it's been associated for so long with political beliefs, it makes it difficult for a lot of people to really look at what the research was really saying about the fact being taught the relationship between letters and sound is a critical part of being a good reader."
How should schools teach reading?
Last week, National announced if it was in Government after the election, it would mandate that every child in New Zealand learn to read using the "structured literacy" approach.
It would require teachers to learn the approach, use "short phonics checks" for Year 2 students to assess their reading progress, and provide structured literacy intervention for those who need extra help.
Under the proposal, funding for additional support would come from the Reading Recovery programme, which National said was outdated.
National's education spokesperson Erica Stanford said students' literacy was being left to chance because while some schools were already teaching structured literacy, others were missing out.
"If you have two different approaches, it's confusing and it doesn't work. We need to ensure there's consistency across the system," Stanford said.
Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said politicians should stay out of the classroom because teachers and experts knew best.
Tinetti said it was concerning National's plans appeared to remove funding for Reading Recovery, which helps students who were lagging behind.
The Reading Recovery programme has changed in the past two years to include both structured literacy and balanced literacy approaches.
Tinetti, as Education Minister, signalled in 2022 she wanted to make teaching more consistent across all schools. That could include a move away from a "whole language" approach to one of "structured literacy".
She said at the time she didn't believe in instructing teachers to teach reading in a particular way.
Tinetti - a former school principal - said some children did learn better by guessing and using visual cues.
Q+A with Jack Tame is Public Interest Journalism funded through New Zealand On Air
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