Motivation and engagement play a crucial role in literacy development and achievement. However, the construct of reading engagement has become blurred and ambiguous, both in research and in discussions of practice. In order to guide future research and to extend our existing understanding of reading engagement into classroom practice, this study…

Argues that reading professionals should not reject or neglect theory merely because it is old and offers Jack Holmes' Substrata Factor Theory as a case in point. Reviews the statistical, neurological, and psychological models in Holmes' theory and points out their potential for stimulating further theoretical thought. (FL)

Notes the current popularity of qualitative research in the field of reading, tells how the techniques of participant observation and interviewing are used by qualitative researchers, and offers suggestions for conducting qualitative research. (GT)

Notes that single-subject designs, developed in clinical settings, are now being used for diagnosis and instruction in the schools. Discusses their importance to the teacher. (FL)

Covers some of the issues and procedures used in conducting meta-analysis, a comprehensive and quantitative method for reviewing research, and includes a review of completed meta-analysis in reading. (HOD)

Explores how findings from current cognitive styles research might enlighten reading process and reading instruction researchers. (FL)

Describes the nature and consequences of liberally or improperly applying the traditional reading research methodology and provides an argument for tempering judgments about the relative contributions that experimental studies make to the professional literature in reading. (SKC)

Reviews the work of James M. McCallister, who examined content area reading in school settings in the 1920s. (FL)

Summarizes P. A. Killgallon's 1942 study that helped to establish the criteria for the instructional reading level, examines W. R. Powell's 1970 critique of that study, and presents concerns about Powell's study. (FL)

Presents an overview of introspective approaches to gaining insight into cognitive processing behavior and traces their application in classical psychology, cognitive psychology, second language learning, and reading. Considers the implications of these approaches for the study of the reading process. Posits criteria for designing process-oriented…

Brings together viewpoints on the qualitative and quantitative research paradigms with regard to educational research in general and to literacy research in particular. Elucidates some of the persistent disputes in the research community. Discusses research traditions in literacy research. Considers the contexts in which new paradigms arise.…

Reviews research relating to graphic organizers. Suggests that no systematic approach to analyzing graphic organizer research exists, resulting in a lack of explanations for why graphic organizers work or do not work. Proposes a framework through which graphic organizer research may be better understood in relation to the cognitive processes of…

Considers three issues related to the conduct of research into reading problems of the elderly: (1) the lack of federal funding of literacy research concerning the elderly, (2) differences between conducting research with school-aged populations and with the elderly, and (3) problems encountered in testing elderly individuals. (GT)

Examines the methodological procedures of expert systems being used in reading research. Identifies four methodological techniques: (1) intact group comparisons, think-aloud protocols, retrospective analysis, and naturalistic inquiry. Notes internal validity threats for each type, and recommends longitudinal descriptive studies on poor readers to…