Background
Research to date does not provide definitive answers regarding the amount of emphasis that should be
placed on phonics or the best way to teach phonics (Cunningham, 2003; National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development [NICHHD], 2000; Stahl, Duffy-Hester, & Stahl, 1998). Debates on these
issues are sometimes fuelled by confusion about the most widely used terms: “phonological awareness,”
“phonemic awareness,” and “phonics.”