More specifically, proponents believe that surrounding students with
reading and writing will help them naturally pick up on reading. Any use of phonics just inhibits this learning because it is tedious and boring (Jones, n.d.). The California experiment proved to be a dismal failure and the reading scores in California dropped (Lemann, 1997).
Still there are supporters of the whole language approach, who cite several research findings. They claim children in whole language classrooms do better on standardized tests and are able to understand phonics effectively even though they weren't taught it explicitly. They also claim that children read more for meaning and are able to deal with problems more effectively (Facts, n.d.).Once again, it seems the best approach is combining approaches, phonics with whole learning education. The report by the American Psychological Society states "that whole-language instruction should be used as an adjunct to phonics, making the learning experience more meaningful" (American, 2002, p. 1).