Reading Development and the Teaching of Reading: A Psychological Perspective

In recent years, there has been increasing emphasis on the idea of reading as a ′socio–cultural′ phenomenon, which is derived from the idea that reading is not an isolated skill, but is necessarily related to the purposes reading will be put to in particular social and cultural contexts. Reading Development and the Teaching of Readin g acknowledges the undoubted contribution of language, motivation and cultural factors to the acquisition of lit4eracy whilst engaging with the contribution of scientific experimental research to the understanding of reading and its development. The prominent contributors to the book demonstrate how psychological research contributes to our understanding of both the nature of literacy and reading development. Practitioners, researchers and students will find in this volume an invaluable source of information on research into literacy and its acquisition. The origins of this book were in a special issue of the Journal of Research in Reading (a United Kingdom Reading Association Journal)

List of Figures. List of Tables. Preface. Acknowledgements. List of Contributors. 1 The New Literacy: Caveat Emptor (Philip B. Gough). 2 How Research Might Inform the Debate about Early Reading Acquisition (Keith E. Stanovich and Paula J. Stanovich). 3 Cognitive Research and the Misconception of Reading Education (Charles A. Perfetti). 4 Constructing Meaning: The Role of Decoding (Philip B. Gough and Sabastian Wren). 5 Phases of Development in Learning to Read Words (Linnea C. Ehri). 6 Learning to Read Words Turns Listeners into Readers: How Children Accomplish this Transition (Morag Stuart, Jackie Masterson and Maureen Dixon). 7 Dyslexia: Core Difficulties, Variability and Causes (Carsten Elbro). 8 Meaningless, Productivity, and Reading: Some Observations about the Relation between the Alphabet and Speech (Brian Byrne and Alvin M. Liberman). 9 Phonological Development and Reading by Analogy: Epilinguistic and Metalinguistic Issues (Usha Goswami). 10 The Messenger may be Wrong, but the Message may be Right (Connie Juel). 11 Afterword: The Science and Politics of Beginning Reading Practices (Marilyn Jager Adams). Subject Index. Author Index.

Gianni Vattimo is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Turin. Jacques Derrida is Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and holds a visiting appointment at the University of California.

"Oakhill and Beard present an overview and a detialed account of major issues related to the development and the teaching of reading.... The material is well linked internally. Together, the chapters provide an important explanation of the debates that have long existed in reading circles. The book provides a forum to develop new philosophical lines of inquiry on reading rather than continuing to seek answers to traditional notions of reading instruction.... This important and exciting text illuminates key social and political issues surrounding the teaching of reading. A thought–provoking volume worthy of note. Highly recommended for graduate students, faculty, and researchers." ( Choice September 2000 ) "...the collection provides a good, if familiar, view of the cognitive approach to reading acquisition.... It will be a useful supporting text for those who already operate within the cognitive experimental framework." ( Educational Research, Vol 42, No3, Winter 2000 )