A huge debate in the reading research world is which should be the unit of processing? According to Larson, it is the letter, not the word that should be the focus. Larson says that letter formation is key to recognizing words.
The parallel letter recognition model best explains the Word Superiority Effect, thus it is the best explanation for how letters are processed. This is based on the findings during eye movement studies that proved that words are processed as whole units rather than letter by letter.
Word-shape model reading instruction leaves many things to stake. If students are only taught to read using the word-shape model of words, they are more likely to make errors when similar spelled words are presented. They should be taught using letter-sound models, word families (rhymes), and spelling patterns (cvc, cvce, etc.). By teaching students how words work, not just how they look, we will be teaching them to be life long readers capable of new terms and text types.
If a student is struggling to read, then teaching eye movements is not going to do anything to help their reading skills. It would more than likely confuse them further and cause a frustration that would likely turn them off to reading in the long run.
Great job, Sarah. Eye movements are just a reflection of cognitive processes, not the cause of poor reading. Those processes should be targeted to effect eye movements. Poor readers' eye movements will start to resemble those of skilled readers as they build fluency in reading. With increased fluency, they won't fixate on every word, nor longer than they should.
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