Short description:

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Long description:

This book comprises a synthesis of current directions in reading research, theory, and practice unified by what has been referred to as the engagement perspective of reading. This perspective guides the research agenda of the National Reading Research Center (NRRC), a consortium of the University of Georgia, University of Maryland, and affiliated scholars. A major goal of the book is to introduce reading researchers to the engagement perspective as defined by the NRRC and to illustrate its potential to integrate the cognitive, social, and motivational dimensions of reading and reading instruction. Engaged readers are viewed as motivated, strategic, knowledgeable, and socially interactive. They read widely for a variety of purposes and capitalize on situations having potential to extend literacy.

The book is organized into four sections representing key components of the NRRC research agenda and the engagement perspective. This perspective emphasizes contexts that influence engaged reading. Accordingly, the first section of the volume focuses on the social and cultural contexts of literacy development, with chapters devoted to examining home influences, home-school connections, and the special challenges facing ethnic minorities. The engagement perspective also implies greater attention to the role of motivational and affective dimensions in reading development than traditional views of reading. Therefore, the second section examines motivational theory and its implications for reading engagement, with special attention to characteristics of classroom contexts that promote motivation in reading. The engagement perspective embraces innovative instructional contexts that address the cognitive, social, and motivational aspects of reading. Thus, the third section includes chapters on current directions in promoting children's learning from text, on the value of an integrated curriculum in promoting reading engagement, and on the challenges of assessing students' development as engaged readers. Finally, the broader conception of reading implied by the engagement perspective requires an expanded array of research approaches, sensitive to the complex and interacting contexts in which children develop literacy. The concluding section focuses on these important contemporary issues in literacy research and educational research, with chapters examining the variety of alternative modes of inquiry gaining prominence in literacy research, teacher inquiry, and ethical issues of collaboration between university and teacher researchers.

Intended for university-based researchers, graduate students, and classroom teachers, this volume brings together researchers who think about students and their literacy development in school and home communities in distinctly different ways. The cooperative and collaborative inquiry presented contributes to a richer understanding of the many factors influencing engaged reading.

"The issues addresseed through this research are critical, 'cutting edge' matters. In all, the papers in this volume are complementary pieces that address overlapping concerns regarding literacy learning and supportive educational contexts."
&&&8212;School Psychology International

Table of Contents:

Contents: Preface. L. Baker, P. Afflerbach, D. Reinking, Introduction: Developing Engaged Readers in School and Home Communities: An Overview. Part I: Social and Cultural Contexts of Reading Development and Engagement. S. Sonnenschein, G. Brody, K. Munsterman, The Influence of Family Beliefs and Practices on Children's Early Reading Development. L. Baker, J. Allen, B. Shockley, A.D. Pellegrini, L. Galda, S.A. Stahl, Connecting School and Home: Constructing Partnerships to Foster Reading Development. R. Thompson, G. Mixon, R. Serpell, Engaging Minority Students in Reading: Focus on the Urban Learner. Part II: Motivation and Engaged Reading. B.L. McCombs, Alternative Perspectives for Motivation. P. Oldfather, A. Wigfield, Children's Motivations for Literacy Learning. L.B. Gambrell, L.M. Morrow, Creating Motivating Contexts for Literacy Learning. Part III: Engaged Instruction and Learning. S.A. Stahl, C.R. Hynd, S.M. Glynn, M. Carr, Beyond Reading to Learn: Developing Content and Disciplinary Knowledge Through Texts. J.T. Guthrie, K. McGough, L. Bennett, M.E. Rice, Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction: An Integrated Curriculum to Develop Motivations and Strategies for Reading. P. Afflerbach, Engaged Assessment of Engaged Readers. Part IV: Toward Contextualizing Literacy Research. J.F. Baumann, D.R. Dillon, B. Shockley, D.E. Alvermann, D. Reinking, Perspectives for Literacy Research. K. Jervis, E. Carr, P. Lockhart, J. Rogers, Multiple Entries Into Inquiry: Dissolving the Boundaries Between Research and Teaching. P.L. Anders, The Ethics of Collaborative Educational Research.