What phase of word recognition is Trina demonstrating if she recognizes and reads words in context but not in isolation?

• A. Alphabetic
• B. Pre-alphabetic
• C. Full alphabetic
• D. Phonetic

Answer: (B)

In this scenario, the phase of word recognition that Trina is demonstrating is characterized by her ability to recognize and read words when they are embedded in context, but she struggles to identify them in isolation. This aligns well with the pre-alphabetic phase of word recognition.

During the pre-alphabetic phase, learners rely on cues from their environment, such as pictures, context, or familiar whole words they have encountered frequently. They may recognize words that are part of familiar contexts, such as phrases or sentences, but lack an understanding of the individual letter-sound relationships that are fundamental to later stages of reading development. This phase indicates an early level of literacy where context and visual memory play a significant role, rather than phonetic decoding or letter identification.

In terms of progression, the alphabetic phase would involve the ability to use letter-sound relationships for reading in both context and isolation, while the full alphabetic phase means recognizing words based on their phonetic components reliably. Hence, recognizing words in context but not in isolation clearly illustrates Trina’s position within the pre-alphabetic understanding of word recognition.