An Investigation of the Relationship between Sight Words Learned in Kindergarten and Reading Ability in First Grade

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between kindergarten sight word recognition and first grade reading ability. The subjects included 20 first graders in an urban school who had been in the researcher's kindergarten class. In kindergarten, the students were instructed in recognizing 135 sight words. The sight words were comprised from the Dolch List as well as words that were frequently used in the classroom. Their recognition of sight words varied from 10-135. The students were tested in December of first grade to determine their reading level. The data were analyzed quantitatively to determine the correlation between the number of sight words recognized in kindergarten and the subjects' reading ability in first grade. The results of the study showed a high correlation between sight word recognition in kindergarten and first grade reading ability. The results of this study indicate the value of learning sight words in kindergarten.