In recent weeks, the issue of how best to teach children to read has become a major talking point for people in education jobs.

And now a new study, conducted by a group of academics, has found that parents who point out words and letters to their children as they read aloud boost youngsters' reading skills when they reach adulthood.

Additionally, the research team observed that showing capital letters and how you read across a page can actually improve language comprehension skills.

"By showing them what a letter is and what a letter means, and what a word is and what a word means, we're helping them to crack the code of language and understand how to read," Shayne Piasta, an assistant professor of teaching and learning, explained.

This, according to the research team, is the first time a study has identified a link between referencing during reading and literary achievement in adulthood.

Capita Education Services, leaders in teacher recruitment and education jobs.