With increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in today's classrooms, a growing body of research continues to explore the varied ways in which digital tools and multiple modalities can tap into emergent bilingual students' academic and linguistic strengths. To understand the empirical landscape of this growing research, the authors…

Adult English-L1 (n = 20) and English-L2 (n = 32) experimental groups were given a novel containing nonce words to read within two weeks to investigate whether the reading of fiction can induce a state of incidental vocabulary acquisition. After reading, an unexpected meaning recall translation assessment measuring acquisition of 49 target nonce…

The concept of voice permeates perspectives on reading and writing and has helped guide both literacy research and teaching. However, what voice is for scholars, researchers, and teachers takes many guises, some in apparent contradiction to others. We offer a theoretical perspective on the concept of voice, situating it within sociocultural…

The study of second-language (L2) reading comprehension and instruction has become the focus of increasing attention in the past few decades. Two recent publications, "Reading in a Second Language: Moving From Theory to Practice" by William Grabe and "Second Language Reading Research and Instruction: Crossing the Boundaries" edited by ZhaoHong Han…

Language-use strategies are considered potentially effective approaches that learners select to accomplish a second- or foreign-language task. In the past three decades, there has been a proliferation of research concerned with learners' strategy use at different levels of language ability and the influence of L1 learner strategies on L2 language…

Considers if first and second language reading processes are really "the same." Discusses ways in which research designs accommodate second-language issues. Considers if a unique pedagogy for second-language readers is needed. Examines the need for future research. Represents a continued yet renewed commitment to understanding and helping users of…

Finds that English-speaking students learning Japanese were most likely to obtain correct answers when interpreting novel kanji compounds (words consisting of two or more Chinese characters) when both words in isolation and contextual clues were available. Shows that morphological analysis is an independent strategy from guessing word meanings…

Discusses flaws that undermine the validity and generalizability of S. Neuman and P. Koskinen's "Captioned Television as Comprehensible Input: Effects of Incidental Word Learning from Context for Language Minority Students," published in an earlier issue of this journal. (RS)

Responds to criticisms raised in another article in this issue concerning a study of incidental word learning among second-language learners viewing captioned television. Suggests that the criticisms fail to "see the forest for the trees." Responds to specific methodological criticisms. (RS)

Presents the view that the minority differential in United States literacy is parallel to the literacy problems of many countries where the home language of children differs markedly from the first language of reading instruction. Notes that this is the situation that prevails in many developing countries, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Finds…

This investigation focuses on the literacy practices of a young Dominican immigrant woman attending a high school in the United States. Drawing from multiple bodies of research and the qualitative research genre of portraiture, the author relies on ethnographic classroom observations and interviews during one and a half years to provide a nuanced…

Indicates that Fijian pupils who had read a large number of high-interest story books written in a second language (English) progressed in reading and listening comprehension in that language at twice the rate of those students who had not read such books. (AEA)

Investigates differences in reading acquisition processes between Dutch and Turkish children learning to read Dutch. Finds that both groups rely on comparable reading strategies. Presents a structural model to examine interactions between the various reading processes in Dutch. Suggests that children learning to read in a second language should…

Now that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) has been reauthorized, states have the option of discontinuing the use of IQ-achievement discrepancy formulas and using Response to Intervention (RTI) criteria as part of the special education identification process. This change has dramatic implications for…

Evaluates and compares English graphophonic and word knowledge of anglophone children in French immersion (FI) programs with those of children in regular English (ENG) classrooms. Reveals no differences between the FI and ENG children in kindergarten, but ENG students scored higher at the end of Grades 1 and 2 on most measures. (NKA)