Abstract
Book presents initial reading literacy with a view to tutorial, psychological, historical and linguistic aspects. Significant part brings results of research project Czech Science Foundation.
The three - year project has been rooted in the pedagogic-psychological and didactic areas of teaching initial reading. The fundamental aim was to compare the analytic-synthetic and genetic methods of teaching reading through observing development of perceptional and speech functions which are important for reading itself and also for personal development 259 of primary pupils in their first and second years as readers.
Particular tasks were focused on historical context of the issues and the analysis of future primary teachers' initial training how to teach beginning reading. The primary research sample, were more than 1 500 pupils of the first and second grades taught by the compared methods.
Research methods were selected to cover all reader's literacy levels. The quantitative and qualitative processing of collected data itself fulfilled the experimental purposes.
From the results it emerged that within the development of the initial reading phase and with its related functions some differences in partial aspects were found in monitored groups of pupils. However, at the end of primary reader's training there were no significant differences.
It can be said that both methods have their specific features, but in general it is not possible to give a preference to any of them when teaching reading in the Czech language. A very interesting result shows the relationship between the readers' performance and their visual perception.
It was present in both monitored groups already in the early years and it appears as the only significant feature during the whole two - year period. This phenomenon would deserve further experimental inquiry.