Overview

A comprehensive overview of important contemporary issues in the field of reading research from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, this well-received volume offers readers an examination of literacy through a variety of lenses--some permitting microscopic views and others panoramic views. A veritable "who''s who" of specialists in the field, chapter authors cover current methodology, as well as cumulative research-based knowledge.

Section 1: Society and Literacy

Because it deals with society and literacy, the first section provides the broadest possible view of literacy.

Section 2: Activities of Literacy

The second section defines the range of activities culturally determined to be a part of the enterprise known as literacy.

Section 3: Processes of Reading

The third focuses on the processes that individuals engage in when they perform the act of reading.

Section 4: Environment and Knowledge Transmission

The fourth section visits the environment in which the knowledge that comprises literacy is passed on from one generation to the next.

Section 5: Reflection and Philosophy

The last section, an epilogue to the whole enterprise of reading research, provides apt philosophical reflection.