John Downing (educational psychologist)

John Downing (1922–1987) was a British educational psychologist who started his career as a teacher then worked as an academic from 1960 until his death in 1987. He published over 300 academic papers in his 27-year academic career, specialising in both how children read and how they learn to read. His three main fields of study were the initial teaching alphabet, the psychology of reading and the comparison of reading methods across different languages and cultures. His principle works in each of these fields were Evaluating the Initial Teaching Alphabet, Reading & Reasoning and Comparative Reading. Fundamentally, Downing was an educational psychologist and his main lifetime achievement was the formulation of the cognitive clarity theory of learning to read.

John Downing
Born
John Downing

1922 (1922)
England
Died(1987-06-02)June 2, 1987
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Teacher and Educational psychologist
TitleProfessor
Board member ofDirector of the International Literacy Association and Founding President of the United Kingdom Literacy Association
SpouseMarianne Downing
ChildrenAndrew Downing, Charles Downing and Rupert Downing
AwardsInternational Literacy Association's International Citation of Merit (1984)
Academic background
EducationBA Honours (with Distinction) & PhD in Psychology
Alma materLondon University, Institute of Education
Academic work
DisciplineEducational Psychology
Sub-disciplineReading
InstitutionsLondon University (Institute of Education) and University of Victoria
Main interestsInitial Teaching Alphabet, Psychology of Reading, Comparative Reading
Writing career
GenreChildren's Basal Readers
Notable worksDowning Readers, Young Set Dictionaries

Downing won the award of Doctor of Literature by the University of London near the end of his career. He was elected a fellow of the British, Canadian and American Psychology Learned Societies & Associations and as a fellow to the Royal Society for Arts. In 1963, Downing was the founding president of the United Kingdom Literacy Association, he also served on the board of directors of the International Literacy Association, who awarded him with the International Citation of Merit and inducted him into their Hall of Fame. The government called on Downing to give evidence to both the Plowden and Bullock committees of inquiry.

Personal life

Downing was born in England in 1922 and married Marianne Downing who often took on the role of his research assistant. They had three children together: - Andrew Downing, Charles Downing and Rupert Downing.[1][2] He emigrated from England to Canada in 1970 but spent several periods of time working in other parts of the world, especially the United States of America.[3]

Downing was known for his trademark dress code in which he wore bold check jackets with unusual bootlace badge ties, fashion characteristics which contrasted with his kind, quiet and scholarly manner.[4] He had a couple of personal traits which endeared him to most of his colleagues and allowed him to form many enduring friendships. On initial introduction to new people, he had the uncanny ability to remember their names and where they both lived and worked, he also was quick and magnanimous in giving recognition to his colleagues and finally he was generous in providing assistance to his colleagues, altogether he was known as someone with a perpetually friendly manner.[5][6]

After a 3-month struggle with cancer over the spring of 1987, Downing eventually succumbed to his illness and died on June 2, 1987, aged 65.[7]

Education

Downing continually improved his education throughout his life, while interspersing his learning with professional and academic work. He attained his teaching certificate in his twenties, his degree in his thirties, his PhD in his forties and was finally awarded the higher doctoral degree of D.Lit (Doctor of Literature) in his sixties as an acknowledgment of his academic successes by the University of London.[8]

Period Educational Institute Qualification
1947–1948 Oakley College of Education[note 1], Cheltenham, England Teacher's Certificate
1953–1957 University of London, England BA in psychology (with distinction)
1966 University of London, England PhD in Psychology
1982 University of London, England D.Lit Doctor of Literature

Classroom teaching

After starting his teacher training in 1947, Downing spent nearly a decade until 1957 acquiring practical experience in teaching children at elementary, secondary and special schools, in particular, he taught children to read and write from kindergarten age,[10] Downing considered this experience essential in his later works and often stated how he was often baffled by children's difficulties in learning to read.[11] Downing also studied for his degree in Psychology during the later period of his teaching career and only ended his teaching career after successfully completing his degree course.[12]

Professional vocation

After graduating Downing left teaching and worked as a communications research officer for Unilever in England between 1958 and 1960.[13] This was a short interlude between his teaching and academic work.

Academic career

In 1960, after his time at Unilever, Downing returned to the University of London and joined the Institute of Education where he took-up the newly formed role of director of the reading research unit.[14] The reading research unit was created to run a trial of James Pitman's initial teaching alphabet, a novel approach to teaching children to read where an interim orthography, consisting of an alternative alphabet and regular spelling system were used instead of the irregular traditional English orthography. Downing spent seven years in the role, studying the initial teaching alphabet, he was to credit this key time as providing him with the crucial insights which inspired the majority of his later academic work.[15] It was during this time that Downing attained his PhD and both began to be known as Dr. John Downing and became a senior lecturer of Educational Psychology.[14]

In 1970, Downing took up the post of Professor of Psychological Foundations in Education at Victoria University, British Columbia, Canada, which he held until his death. It was during this time, following his emigration to Canada, that he produced some of his most significant academic works.[14]

Three times during his career, Downing took up positions of some longevity as a visiting professor:-[13]

In addition, Downing also served as a visiting professor for shorter durations in Australia, China, Finland and the Soviet Union. This was especially important later in his career for his study of comparative reading which also notably took him to Japan & Papua New Guinea as a researcher.[13]

Initial Teaching Alphabet

Reading research unit

As the director of the reading research unit, Downing spent seven years studying the initial teaching alphabet designed by James Pitman to teach children to read.[16] He was amply supported by the fourteen colleagues in the reading research unit, in particular his deputy William Latham who was accredited in some of the academic publications.[17] The unit was further supplemented by seven senior lecturers from educational colleges who served one-year secondments on a rotating basis.[18] During his time at the reading research unit, Downing carried out two scientifically controlled, largescale trials of the initial teaching alphabet: -

  • 1961 - Twenty four local education authorities participated with 873 pupils being taught over 3 academic years using the i.t.a. compared with the same number of matched pupils who acted as the control.[19]
  • 1963 - Sixteen schools participated with 548 pupils being taught over 3 academic years using the i.t.a. compared with 554 pupils who acted as the control.[20]

Academic works

Downing published a large body of academic work related to the initial teaching alphabet both whilst he was the director of the reading research unit and afterwards when he became a professor, this is comprehensively listed in his vitae,[21] the more notable papers are listed below: -

i.t.a. papers
Mth Year Article Title Journal Ref
Jan 1962 New experimental evidence on the role of the unsystematic spelling in reading failure Educational Research [22]
Jun 1962 Relationship between reading attainment & inconsistency of English spelling Educational Psychology [23]
Jan 1963 Is a 'mental age of six' essential for 'reading' readiness? Educational Research [24]
Mar 1963 The augmented Roman alphabet for learning to read The Reading Teacher [25]
Apr 1964 Teaching reading with i.t.a. in Britain Phi Delta Kappan [26]
Nov 1964 The i.t.a. (initial teaching alphabet) reading experiment The Reading Teacher [27]
May 1965 Current misconceptions about i.t.a. Elementary English [28]
Jan 1966 Some problems of evaluating i.t.a. a second experiment Educational Research [29]
Dec 1966 The i.t.a. - what next? Paper to Reading Conference [30]
Jan 1967 How i.t.a. began Elementary English [31]
Jan 1967 The effects of the i.t.a. on young children's written composition Educational Research [32]
Jan 1967 The effects of the initial teaching alphabet on educationally subnormal pupils The Slow Learning Child [33]
Feb 1967 What's wrong with i.t.a.? Phi Delta Kappan [34]
Jun 1967 Will i.t.a. copyright prevent improvements? (a response from Downing) Phi Delta Kappan [35]
Jul 1967 The i.t.a. - past and future Paper to Reading Conference [36]
Oct 1967 Methodological problems in the British i.t.a. research Reading Research Quarterly [37]
Dec 1967 Can i.t.a be improved? Elementary English [38]
Mar 1968 Educational values and i.t.a. Literacy [39]
Apr 1968 British i.t.a. research The Reading Teacher [40]
Nov 1968 Alternative teaching methods in i.t.a Elementary English [41]
Dec 1969 How children think about reading The Reading Teacher [42]
Feb 1969 Initial teaching alphabet: results after six years Literacy [43]
Jan 1969 i.t.a. and slow learners: a reappraisal Educational Research [44]
Oct 1969 Comparison of failure in i.t.a. and T.O The Reading Teacher [45]
Jan 1970 Cautionary comments on some American i.t.a. reports Educational Research [46]
Nov 1970 A psycholinguistic theory for i.t.a. Elementary English [47]
May 1971 Promising uses of the i..t.a. medium in Britain and Michigan Michigan Reading Journal [48]
Mar 1971 i.t.a.: American versus British experience Phi Delta Kappan [49]
Sep 1972 i.t.a.'s effectiveness in the prevention and treatment of disabilities in reading Literacy Discussion [50]
Sep 1972 The orthography factor in literacy acquisition in different languages Literacy Discussion [51]
Mar 1972 Slings and arrows Literacy [52]
Apr 1972 A gap has two sides The Reading Teacher [53]
Jan 1973 Could you teach i.t.a.? Reading Improvement [54]
Jan 1973 Transfer of grapheme discrimination from cued to traditional orthography Experimental Education [55]
May 1973 Some Reasons for NOT Using i.t.a. Paper to Intl. Literacy Assn [56]
Jan 1976 The Bullock commission's judgment of i.t.a The Reading Teacher [57]
May 1976 After 15 Years of i.t.a. in England – an official judgment English in Australia [58]
Dec 1977 The probability of reading failure in i.t.a. and T.O Literacy [59]
Jan 1978 Sensory handicaps and the initial teaching alphabet The Exceptional Child [60]
Jan 1979 Results of teaching reading in i.t.a. to children with cognitive defects Reading World [61]

In addition, Downing published five books on the initial teaching alphabet: -

  • 1962 – The Initial Teaching Alphabet – Explained and Illustrated[62]
  • 1965 – The Initial Teaching Alphabet Reading Experiment – Three Lectures on the Research in Beginning Reading with Sir James Pitman's Initial Teaching Alphabet[63]
  • 1966 – An Experimental Study of Orthography and Reading Attainments in English[64]
  • 1967 – The i.t.a. Symposium: Research Report on the British Experiment with i.t.a.[65]
  • 1967 – Evaluating the Initial Teaching Alphabet – A study of the influence of English orthography on learning to read and write,[66] it was this book which was the final culmination of all his research efforts.[67]

Children's literature

The initial teaching alphabet started being taught using existing basal reading schemes transliterated into i.t.a. but originally designed specifically around the nuances of traditional orthography, such as the Janet & John series of reading books. To remediate this, Downing wrote the Downing Readers which were designed specifically for the i.t.a. and these were all published in the 1960s,[68] although eventually, there were several authors for the Downing readers, Downing was the accredited author of the following: -

  • Paul[69]
  • Sally[70]
  • Hello and goodbye[71]
  • The new horse[72]
  • Come here Jet[73]
  • Paul's bird table[74]
  • Zip and his car[75]
  • Going to school[76]
  • Get up Zip[77]
  • Up the tree[78]
  • Come and look[79]
  • The story of the ballet Coppelia [80]
  • Topsy-turvy world[81]
  • At the fire-station[82]
  • Fireworks[83]
  • The ice-cream cats[84]
  • Plum jam[85]
  • Peter's boat[86]
  • An adventure on ice[87]
  • Letter from Mike[88]
  • New school for Mike[89]
  • The secret[90]
  • The big surprise[91]
  • The lonely snowman[92]
  • Down to earth again[93]
  • Koalas and kangaroos[94]
  • Bandy's first jump[95]
  • Come and look[96]
  • The monster[97]
  • Present from granny[98]
  • Walk in the woods[99]
  • Where are Arthur and Helen[100]
  • Saved from the cliff[101]
  • Trapped in the well[102]
  • New born animals[103]
  • The i.t.a. alphabet book[104]

Downing's conclusion

By the end of his study, Downing's principle conclusion on the initial teaching alphabet (i.t.a.) was: -

"i.t.a. as a transitional writing-system for beginning reading and writing in English generally produces superior results in traditional orthography reading and spelling by the end of third year of school"[105]

Psychology of reading

After leaving his role as director of the reading research unit and taking up post as professor of psychological foundations in education at Victoria University, Downing built on his i.t.a. work by focusing on children's thought processes in learning to read, to this end he developed the cognitive clarity theory of learning to read, which was his crowning achievement as an educational psychologist. Much of Downing's later work was either the application of the theory or studies through the lens of the theory.[106] As well as publishing a large number of academic papers,[107] Downing's major academic works in this area of research were: -

  • 1971 - Reading Readiness, published originally by the University of London Press[108]
  • 1979 – Reading and Reasoning, published originally by Chambers and Springer-Verlag[109]
  • 1982 - Psychology of Reading, published originally by Macmillan[110]
  • 1983 – Linguistic Awareness in Reading Readiness (LARR) Test: Recognizing literacy behaviour, a test published originally by NFER-Nelson[111]
  • 1984 – Language Awareness and Learning to Read, published originally by Springer-Verlag[112]

An interesting example of the application of the cognitive clarity theory of learning to read is the Young Set Dictionaries which Downing co-authored. The theory suggests that children have their own vocabulary of words which they desire to read and write rather than the vocabulary which adults desire to teach them. The mis-match often caused difficulties in learning to read, as such Downing co-compiled a multi-stage dictionary of words which children desired to be in their dictionaries: -[113]

  1. Chambers Young Set Dictionary One (160 words for ages 4–5)[114]
  2. Chambers Young Set Dictionary Two (1,000 words for ages 6–7)[115]
  3. Chambers Young Set Dictionary Three (5,000 words for ages 8–9)[116]
  4. Chambers Young Set Dictionary Four (15,000 words for ages 10–11)[117]

Comparative reading

Downing's study of the initial teaching alphabet provided insight into how a language's linguistic characteristics and orthography could influence how children learn to read, as such he explored and compared learning to read in different languages and effectively launched a brand new field of study "comparative reading" named after his original academic work on this subject where he compared reading across 14 countries: - Comparative Reading – Cross-national Studies of Behavior and Processes in Reading and Writing.[118][119]

Downing described the three aims of this field of study: -[120]

  1. Identify the universal psychological characteristics in the acquisition of reading skills across the world by taking into account the differences caused by languages, orthographies and school systems.
  2. Catalogue, classify and assess how people read and learn to read in different languages and cultures.
  3. Socialise out, the rich variety of successful teaching methods used by different societies which are often unknown outside of their own language.

As an example, one of Downing's early academic papers was on the use of Japanese Furigana as a teaching aid, this was published in the journal Forward Trends on 15 October 1971.[121]

Downing continued to compare how reading was taught in different countries through the lens of his theory all the way to his death in 1987.[122] One of his last researches was in Papua New Guinea which had over 800 spoken languages, so it was a natural laboratory for his final work. He titled his work;- "Experiments in Linguistics and Literacy in Papua New Guinea" (1986).[123]

Career highlights

The major academic highlights of John Downing's career were: –

Notable speeches

Downing made eight keynote addresses to the bi-annual international congress on reading held by UNESCO and the International Reading Association, now known as the International Literacy Association: -[124]

  • 1966 – 1st International Congress on Reading in Paris
  • 1972 – 4th International Congress on Reading in Buenos Aires
  • 1974 – 5th International Congress on Reading in Vienna
  • 1976 – 6th International Congress on Reading in Singapore
  • 1978 – 7th International Congress on Reading in Hamburg
  • 1982 – 9th International Congress on Reading in Dublin
  • 1984 – 10th International Congress on Reading in Hong Kong
  • 1986 – 11th International Congress on Reading in London

United Kingdom and international reading associations

In 1963, Downing became the founding president of the United Kingdom Reading Association, now known as the United Kingdom Literacy Association.

He also held several prominent roles with its sister organisation, the International Literacy Association, who awarded him with the International Citation of Merit in 1984.[125] Downing's roles for the International Literacy Association were: -[126]

  • On the board of directors
  • Chairman of the special interest group for international co-operation in research and development in reading
  • Chairman of the special interest group for the language-experience approach
  • Chairman of committee on voluntary service for literacy in third world countries
  • Member of international development committee
  • Member of the committee on comparative reading
  • Member of several bi-annual congress programs: -
    1. 1974–1976, Singapore world congress
    2. 1982–1984, French language reading
    3. 1982–1984, Multi-literacy in multi-cultural settings
    4. 1983–1984, German language reading
  • In 1987, Downing was inducted onto the Reading Hall of Fame, an affiliated organisation of the International Literacy Association.[127]

1967 – Plowden inquiry

As one of the leading experts on the initial teaching alphabet, Downing gave written and in-person evidence to the influential Plowden inquiry 'to consider primary education in all its aspects and the transition to secondary education'.[128][129][130] Paragraph 588 of the report describes the committee's resulting thoughts on the subject of the initial teaching alphabet: -

"588. A hundred and fifty years ago, Coleridge, anxious about his own child's progress in reading, complained about 'our lying alphabet'. How great an obstacle is it to children who have difficulty in learning to read? The Initial Teaching Alphabet has attracted great public attention and has been the subject of heated argument. Should the claims made for the use of this alphabet be substantiated, it would mean that all but a small minority of those children who find reading difficult would find it so no longer. Since at present a substantial minority find difficulty, the claims merit careful scrutiny."[131]

1975 – Bullock inquiry

By 1975, Downing, as an expert in teaching children to read & write, gave evidence to the Bullock inquiry into the teaching in schools of reading and the other uses of English.[132] There were two broad areas where Downing's expertise was sought: -

  • Firstly, the committee was concerned that the country may be falling behind others in levels of literacy, also the committee sought to identify good practices in other countries on difficult subjects such as the organisation of schooling. For both these reasons, Downing was consulted as an expert in the field of comparative reading between different countries.[133][134]
  • Secondly, the merits of the initial teaching alphabet were considered by the committee and Downing as the leading expert in the field, was consulted.[135] The committee referred back to the evidence from the original largescale scientific studies carried out by Downing: -

"7.29 ... When groups of t.o. and i.t.a. children were matched in the main British experiments, the writing produced by the latter was of consistently higher quality. (Downing and Latham subsequently tested a sample of the children originally involved in this experiment and found that the i.t.a. pupils remained superior in t.o. reading and spelling even after five years at school, i.e. well beyond the transition stage)."[136]

Simplified Spelling Society

Downing replaced James Pitman, who was the founder of the initial teaching alphabet, as chairman of the simplified spelling society in 1972, a post he was to hold until his death.[137] After his death, the society published the following obituary in its journal: -

"John Downing carried out the crucial scientific research which not merely demonstrated how and why the initial teaching alphabet was educationally so superior to traditional orthography, but also provided solid evidence to support the Society's message that the level of literacy would benefit from improvements in English spelling."[138]

Awards and recognitions

Downing received recognition for his distinguished contributions in the field of educational psychology: -[125]

Footnotes
  1. Oakley Teacher Training College was set-up as an emergency training college for intending teachers on the redundant government buildings at Oakley Farm. The Training College for Men opened in June 1946, offering an intensive 48 week training course, the college closed in March 1951. [9]

Citations
  1. Bye 1987, p. 12(i) (electronic), 7 (paper), 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" We offer our sympathy to Marianne, his widow from their close marriage (she attended some of the Society's meetings), and to their now adult children."
  2. Downing 1967a, p. 10, Acknowledgements" my family ought to be thanked...Marianne, Andrew, Charles and Rupert"
  3. Bye 1987, p. 11(v) (electronic), 6(v) paper, 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" With his move to Canada in 1970, when he became Professor of Psychological Foundations in Education at Victoria University, British Columbia"
  4. Bye 1987, p. 12(ii) (electronic), 7(ii) (paper), 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" His perpetually cheery face radiated friendliness and good will, aided in no small way by his habit of wearing loud check jackets and a bootlace badge tie, characteristics which seemed not so much to contrast with as to complement his otherwise quiet manner."
  5. Bye 1987, p. 12(iv) (electronic), 7(i) (paper), 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" He became a personal friend of almost everyone he met, remembering their first names, where they lived and worked, and it was never too much trouble to send some useful literature from the other side of the globe."
  6. Bye 1987, p. 12(iii) (electronic) 7(iii) (paper), 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" He was quick to give recognition and assistance to others, and had a multitude of friends."
  7. "APA PsycNet". psycnet.apa.org. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  8. Downing & 1987bio, p. 3, Educational Background.
  9. Daniel 2010, p. 12.
  10. Bye 1987, p. 11 (electronic), 6 (paper), 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" John Downing's career was based upon, and in a sense never forgot, his years as classroom teacher in elementary, secondary and special education schools between 1947 and 1957: the mind of the learning child remained his fundamental concern."
  11. DOWNING (2013-11-11). Reading and Reasoning. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4757-1707-5.
  12. Downing & 1987bio, p. 3(ii), Educational background / Professional experience.
  13. Downing & 1987bio, p. 3(ii), Professional experience.
  14. Downing & 1987bio, p. 1(iv), Academic Positions.
  15. Downing 1979a, p. 1, Introduction" I must be thankful of the experiences which have led me...only two or three years after qualifying in psychology, I had the good fortune to be chosen to plan and conduct the first largescale experiment on children's reading in Britain. This was the experiment with Sir James Pitman's initial teaching alphabet or i.t.a. This had far reaching effects on reading education in Britain. It led, through the controversy it stimulated, to a much greater interest in the problems of reading and learning to read"
  16. Bye 1987, p. 11(iv) (electronic), 6(iv) (paper), 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" From 1960 to 1969 he was Head of Reading Research at the University of London Institute of Education, and then Senior Lecturer in Psychology. In those years he led the investigation into the effectiveness of the Initial Teaching Alphabet as a teaching medium, culminating in his report Evaluating the Initial Teaching Alphabet,"
  17. Downing 1967a, p. vii, Acknowledgements" The important role of my colleague Mr. William Latham is recognized ..for his overall partnership in the conduct of all the i.t.a. experimental work of the Reading Research Unit."
  18. Downing 1967a, p. 2, Acknowledgements" Each year since 1961 at least one lecturer from a college of education has been seconded to the Reading Research Unit. They have made valuable contributions to the conduct of the i.t.a. experiments."
  19. Downing, John (1967). Evaluating the Initial Teaching Alphabet. Worcester: Cassell. pp. 127–128.
  20. Downing 1967a, p. 260, VII. A 2nd i.t.a. experiment to provide more control" sixteen head-teachers agreed,..., to take part in the experiment and to allow all of their 1963/64 entrants to participate. Over the whole school year this yielded 548 experimental and 554 control pupils"
  21. Downing & 1987vita, p. 1-28.
  22. Downing, John; Gardner, Keith (1962-12-01). "Research Note: New experimental evidence on the role of the unsystematic spelling of English in reading failure". Educational Research. 5 (1): 69–75. doi:10.1080/0013188620050109. ISSN 0013-1881 – via Taylor Francis Online.
  23. Downing, John (1962). "The relationship between reading attainment and the inconsistency of English spelling at the infants' school stage". Educational Psychology. 32 (P2): 166–177. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8279.1962.tb01752.x – via Wiley Online Library.
  24. Downing, J. A. (1963-12-01). "Is a 'Mental Age of Six' Essential for 'Reading' Readiness?". Educational Research. 6 (1): 16–28. doi:10.1080/0013188640060103. ISSN 0013-1881 – via Taylor Francis Online.
  25. Downing, John A. (1963). "The Augmented Roman Alphabet for Learning to Read". The Reading Teacher. 16 (5): 325–336. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20197649 – via JSTOR.
  26. Downing, John (1964). "Teaching Reading with i.t.a. in Britain". The Phi Delta Kappan. 45 (7): 322–329. ISSN 0031-7217. JSTOR 20343147.
  27. Downing, John (1964). "The I.T.A. (Initial Teaching Alphabet) Reading Experiment". The Reading Teacher. 18 (2): 105–110. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20197865.
  28. Downing, John (1965). "Current Misconceptions about i.t.a." Elementary English. 42 (5): 492–501. ISSN 0013-5968. JSTOR 41387377.
  29. Downing, John; Jones∗, Barbara (1966-02-01). "Some problems of evaluating i.t.a. a second experiment". Educational Research. 8 (2): 100–114. doi:10.1080/0013188660080204. ISSN 0013-1881.
  30. Downing, John (1966-12-02). I. T. A. - What next. National Reading Conference (St. Petersburg).
  31. Downing, John (1967). "How I. T. A. Began". Elementary English. 44 (1): 40–46. ISSN 0013-5968. JSTOR 41386113 – via JSTOR.
  32. Downing, John; Fyfe, Thomas; Lyon 1, Michael (1967-02-01). "The effects of the i.t.a. on young children's written composition". Educational Research. 9 (2): 137–144. doi:10.1080/0013188670090208. ISSN 0013-1881.
  33. Downing, John (1967-03-01). "The Effects of the Initial Teaching Alphabet on Educationally Subnormal Pupils ‐‐ a Survey of Teachers' Reports". The Slow Learning Child. 13 (3): 164–175. doi:10.1080/0156655670130307. ISSN 0037-704X.
  34. Downing, John (1967). "What's Wrong with i. t. a.?". The Phi Delta Kappan. 48 (6): 262–266. ISSN 0031-7217. JSTOR 20371804.
  35. Downing, John (1967). "Will i.t.a. Copyright Prevent Improvements? (A Response from Downing)". The Phi Delta Kappan. 48 (10): 524. ISSN 0031-7217. JSTOR 20371927.
  36. Downing, John (1967). "The i/t/a--Past and Future". Annual Conference and Course on Reading (23d, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., July 10–21, 1967).
  37. Downing, John; Cartwright, Daphne; Jones, Barbara; Latham, William (1967). "Methodological Problems in the British i. t. a. Research". Reading Research Quarterly. 3 (1): 85–100. doi:10.2307/747205. ISSN 0034-0553. JSTOR 747205.
  38. Downing, John (1967). "Can i.t.a Be Improved?". Elementary English. 44 (8): 849–855. ISSN 0013-5968. JSTOR 41387638.
  39. Downing, John (1968). "Educational values and i.t.a." Literacy. 2 (1): 11–17. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9345.1968.tb00384.x – via Wiley Online Library.
  40. Downing, John (1968). "British I.T.A. Research". The Reading Teacher. 21 (7): 640–646. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20195993.
  41. Downing, John (1968). "Alternative Teaching Methods in i.t.a". Elementary English. 45 (7): 942–951. ISSN 0013-5968. JSTOR 41386428.
  42. Downing, John (1969). "How Children Think about Reading". The Reading Teacher. 23 (3): 217–230. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20196292.
  43. Downing, John (1969). "Initial Teaching Alphabet: Results after Six Years". The Elementary School Journal. 69 (5): 242–249. doi:10.1086/460506. ISSN 0013-5984. JSTOR 1000921. S2CID 144515976.
  44. Downing, John (1969-06-01). "i.t.a. and slow learners: a reappraisal". Educational Research. 11 (3): 229–231. doi:10.1080/0013188690110312. ISSN 0013-1881.
  45. Downing, John (1969). "Comparison of Failure in I. T. A. and T. O." The Reading Teacher. 23 (1): 43–47. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20196253.
  46. Downing, John (1970-11-01). "Cautionary comments on some American i.t.a. reports". Educational Research. 13 (1): 70–72. doi:10.1080/0013188700130111. ISSN 0013-1881.
  47. Downing, John (1970). "A Psycholinguistic Theory for i.t.a." Elementary English. 47 (7): 953–961. ISSN 0013-5968. JSTOR 41387720.
  48. Downing, John; Hilaire, Philip (1971). "Promising Uses of the i.t.a. Medium in Britain and Michigan". Michigan Reading Journal. 5 (4).
  49. Downing, John (1971). "i.t.a.: American Versus British Experience". Phi Delta Kappan. 52 (416). OCLC 425361960.
  50. Downing, John (1972). "i. t. a.'s Effectiveness in the Prevention and Treatment of Disabilities in Reading and Writing". Literacy Discussion.
  51. Downing, John (1972). "The Orthography Factor in Literacy Acquistion [sic] in Different Languages". Literacy Discussion.
  52. Downing, John (1972). "Slins and arrœs". Literacy. 6 (1): 20–26. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9345.1972.tb00913.x – via Wiley Online Library.
  53. Downing, John (1972). "A Gap Has Two Sides". The Reading Teacher. 25 (7): 634–638. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20193058.
  54. Downing, John (1973). "Could You Teach i.t.a.?". Reading Improvement. 10, F 73, 54.
  55. Oliver, Peter R.; May, Richard B.; Downing, John (1973-06-01). "Transfer of Grapheme Discrimination from Cued to Traditional Orthography". The Journal of Experimental Education. 41 (4): 82–87. doi:10.1080/00220973.1973.11011431. ISSN 0022-0973.
  56. Downing, John (1973). "Some Reasons for NOT Using i.t.a". Paper Presented at Annual Meeting of the International Reading Association (18th, Denver, May 1–4, 1973).
  57. Downing, John (1976). "The Bullock Commission's Judgment of I.T.A." The Reading Teacher. 29 (4): 379–382. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20194035.
  58. Downing, John. "After 15 years of i.t.a. in England – an official judgment". English in Australia (35).
  59. Downing, John (1977). "The Probability of Reading Failure in i.t.a. and t.o." Literacy. 11 (3): 3–12. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9345.1977.tb00189.x. ISSN 1741-4350.
  60. Downing, John (1978-03-01). "Sensory handicaps and the initial teaching alphabet". The Exceptional Child. 25 (1): 36–40. doi:10.1080/0156655780250104. ISSN 0156-6555.
  61. Downing, John (1979-03-01). "Results of teaching reading IN i.t.a. to children with cognitive deficits". Reading World. 18 (3): 290–299. doi:10.1080/19388077909557487. ISSN 0149-0117.
  62. Downing, John A. (1964). The Initial Teaching Alphabet: Explained and Illustrated. Macmillan.
  63. Downing, John A. (1965). The Initial Teaching Alphabet Reading Experiment: Three Lectures on the Research in Beginning Reading with Sir James Pitman's Initial Teaching Alphabet. Scott, Foresman.
  64. Downing, John A. (1966). An Experimental Study of Orthography and Reading Attainments in English. University of London (Birkbeck College).
  65. Wales, National Foundation for Educational Research in England and; Downing, John A. (1967). The I.t.a. Symposium: Research Report on the British Experiment with I.t.a. National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales.
  66. Downing 1967a, p. -.
  67. Bye 1987, p. 11(vi) (electronic), 6(vi) (paper)" In those years he (Downing) led the investigation into the effectiveness of the Initial Teaching Alphabet as a teaching medium, culminating in his report Evaluating the Initial Teaching Alphabet,"
  68. Smith, Nila Banton; Strickland, Ruth Gertrude (1969). Some Approaches to Reading. The Inititial Teaching Alphabet – Materials: Association for Childhood Education International. p. 10.
  69. Downing, John A. (1964). The Downing Readers: Paul. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  70. Downing, John A. (1963). The Downing Readers: Sally. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  71. Downing, John (1963). Hulloe and Good-bie [Hello and Good Bye]. Initial Teaching Publishing. ISBN 978-0-254-44010-4.
  72. Downing, John (1963). The Nue Hors [ The New Horse]. Initial Teaching Publishing. ISBN 978-0-254-44032-6.
  73. Downing, John A. (1964). The Downing Readers: Come here, Jet. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  74. Downing, John (1963). Paul'z Bird Taebl [Paul's Bird Table]. Initial Teaching Publishing.
  75. Downing, John (1963). Zip and Hiz Car [Zip and His Car]. Initial Teaching Publishing.
  76. Downing, John (1963). Going Too Scool [Going Too School]. Initial Teaching Publishing.
  77. Downing, John (1965). Get Up Zip. Initial Teaching Publishing.
  78. Downing, John A. (1963). The Downing Readers: Up the tree. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  79. Downing, John A. (1964). The Downing Readers: Cum and lwk ; stories by Faith Graham and Dilys Beeston. Initial Teaching Publishing. ISBN 978-0-254-44045-6.
  80. Graham, Faith; Downing, John Allen (1968). The Story Ov the Ballae "coppaelia" [The Story of the Ballet "Coppelia"]. Initial Teaching Publishing. ISBN 978-0-254-44006-7.
  81. Graham, Faith; Downing, John Allen (1968). Topsy-turvy Wurld [Topsy-turvy World]. Initial Teaching Publishing. ISBN 978-0-254-44002-9.
  82. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: At the fire station. B5. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  83. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: Fireworks. B2. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  84. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: The ice-cream cats. A3. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  85. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: Plum jam. A1. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  86. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: Peter's boat. B1. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  87. Graham, Faith; Downing, John Allen (1965). An Adventuer on Ies [An Adventure on Ice]. Initial Teaching Publishing. ISBN 978-0-254-44000-5.
  88. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: Letter from Mike. A6. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  89. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: New school for Mike. A4. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  90. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: The secret. B6. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  91. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: Big surprise. A5. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  92. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: The lonely snow man. A2. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  93. Downing, John A. (1964). The Downing Readers: Down to earth again. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  94. Penny, Joan (1968). Koalas and Kangaroos. Initial Teaching Publishing.
  95. Downing, John A. (1964). The Downing Readers: Bandy's first jump. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  96. Downing, John A. (1964). The Downing Readers: Come and look. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  97. Downing, John A. (1967). The Downing Readers: The Monster. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  98. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers: Present from granny. B3. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  99. Downing, John A. (1964). The Downing Readers: Walk in the woods. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  100. Downing, John A. (1967). The Downing Readers: Where are Arthur and Helen. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  101. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers Transfer Series: Saved from the cliff. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  102. Downing, John A. (1965). The Downing Readers Transfer Series: Trapped in the well. Initial Teaching Publishing Company.
  103. Graham, Faith; Downing, John Allen (1965). Nue Born Animalz [New Born Animals]. Initial Teaching Publishing. ISBN 978-0-254-44001-2.
  104. Downing, John A. (1969). The I.t.a. Alphabet Book. Educational Supply Association.
  105. Downing 1967a, p. 293, VII. Conclusions and Recommendations.
  106. Bye 1987, p. 11(ii) (electronic, 6(II) (paper)" With his move to Canada in 1970, when he became Professor of Psychological Foundations in Education at Victoria University, British Columbia, John Downing's work expanded in two dimensions. One was the psychology of reading generally, with a succession of works such as Reading and reasoning, Language Awareness and learning to Read, Reading Readiness, and most recently the major survey Psychology of Reading."
  107. Downing & 1987vita, p. 1-22.
  108. Downing, John A.; Thackray, Derek (1971). Reading Readiness. University of London Press for the United Kingdom Reading Association. ISBN 978-0-340-11953-2.
  109. DOWNING (2013-11-11). Reading and Reasoning. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4757-1707-5.
  110. Downing, John A.; Leong, Che Kan (1982). Psychology of Reading. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-330020-2.
  111. Downing, John A.; Ayers, John Douglas; Schaefer, Brian (1983). Linguistic Awareness in Reading Readiness (LARR) Test: Recognizing literacy behaviour (2 v.). NFER-NELSON. ISBN 978-0-7005-0545-6.
  112. Downing, John A.; Valtin, Renate (1984). Language Awareness and Learning to Read. Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-540-90890-6.
  113. Downing, John (1985). "Designing dictionaries for children". New Horizons (26): 74–82.
  114. Sceats, John; Downing, John; Brown, Amy Louise. Chambers Young Set Dictionary 1. Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7023-021-2.
  115. Brown, Amy Louise; Sceats, John; Downing, John. Chambers Young Set Dictionary 2. Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7023-022-9.
  116. Brown, Amy Louise; Sceats, John; Downing, John (1983). Chambers Young set dictionary. Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7023-023-6.
  117. Brown, Amy L.; Sceats, John; John, Downing (1984). Chambers Young Set Dictionary Four. University Press. ISBN 978-0-550-71213-4.
  118. Downing, John A. (1973). Comparative Reading: Cross-national Studies of Behavior and Processes in Reading and Writing. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-330000-4.
  119. Bye 1987, p. 11(iii) (electronic, 6(iii) paper, 3. Professor John Downing — a Tribute" The other dimension was the international one, which is of great importance because it provides a basis of objective comparison with English. His main work here was Comparative Reading, a cross-national study of reading in 14 countries, but a further work, — Cognitive Psychology and Reading in the USSR, will appear posthumously."
  120. Downing, J. (1988-01-01). "1". Cognitive Psychology and Reading in the USSR. Elsevier. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-08-086703-8.
  121. Downing & 1987vita, p. 12.
  122. Downing & 1987bio, p. 1" The other main direction of Dr. Downing's research has been investigating how children learn to read in different languages and varying cultural backgrounds."
  123. Downing & 1987bio, p. 3.
  124. Downing & 1987bio, p. 3(iv), IRA World Congress Addresses.
  125. Downing & 1987bio, p. 2, Recognitions in Educational Psychology.
  126. Downing & 1987bio, p. 2(iv), Memberships (International Reading Association).
  127. "John Downing | Reading Hall of Fame". www.readinghalloffame.org. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  128. Plowden 1967, p. 223, References" 2. Downing JA 'Initial Teaching Alphabet', Cassell & Co., 1966."
  129. Plowden 1967, p. 509, (v) Individuals who gave oral evidence to the council" Mr JA Downing, Director, Reading Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London."
  130. Plowden 1967, p. 516, (ii) Individuals who submitted written evidence" Mr JA Downing, Reading Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London."
  131. Plowden 1967, p. 213, Paragraph 588.
  132. Bullock 1974, p. 563, Appendix A – List of witnesses and sources of evidence – 1. Witnesses who gave oral evidence – II. Individuals" Professor John Downing, Faculty of Education, University of Victoria, British Columbia."
  133. Bullock 1974, p. 33, Chapter 2 – Standards of Reading – References & Notes" 5. (ed) J Downing Comparative Reading Macmillan: New York: 1973."
  134. Bullock 1974, p. 212, Chapter 13 – The Primary & Middle Years – References" 4. J Downing (ed.) Comparative Reading Macmillan, New York: 1973. 6. J Downing (ed.) op. cit."
  135. Bullock 1974, p. 114, Chapter 7 – Reading in The Early Years – References" 11. JA Downing The i.t.a. Symposium NFER: 1967. 12. JA Downing and W Latham A follow-up of children in the first i.t.a. experiment British Journal of Educational Psychology, 39: 1969."
  136. Bullock 1974, p. 112(i).
  137. Bye et al. 1987, p. 11.
  138. Bye et al. 1987, p. 11.

References
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