The alphabetic code has to be unlocked for fluent reading to be achieved (Dehaone, 2015). Even when not explicitly taught, many children appear to be able to decipher the code by themselves and up to 75% are able to do this(McGuiness 1999;Adoniou,2017; Turner and Burkard, 1996).
These children will be able to read (McGuinness,1999). The rest must either continue attempting to crack the code or rely on their memory of word shapes to gift them a reading vocabulary of about two thousand words (Leong, 1973, Gough and Hillinger, 1980, Akamatsu, 2006).
Deriving utility from reading is dependent on the ability to read fluently which is dependent on the ability to decode - the essence of the Simple View of Reading (Gough and Sumner, 1986) -thereadingape.com/single-post/20…
Motivation and engagement with text in young readers is directly correlated with knowledge of reading strategies (Baker and Wigfield, 1999; Guthrie and Wigfield, 2000). Code related skills the most consistent predictor of reading success for early readers (Storch et al., 2002)
Decoding mastery will not ensure pleasure is derived from reading. Nevertheless, attempting to read for pleasure without decoding mastery is akin to trying to enjoy cinema with a visual and aural impediment - frustrating, demotivating and usually impossible.
