ABSTRACT
From the mid 1800s through the present, there have been cycles of interest in research methods used to explore literacy issues. For example, questions examining the efficacy of various literacy interventions have traditionally employed experimental group research designs, whereas questions focusing on process characteristics, the “hows” and “whys” of literacy research, have looked more toward qualitative methodologies. No ticeably absent from the research literature, however, have been studies based on a single subject, or N=1 research designs. The purpose of this chapter, therefore, is to examine the utility of singlesubject experimental design for literacy research. We begin by briefly describing its history and logic, then turn to its theoretical and practical advantages. We end by delineating both potential problems and possible solutions for future investigations pertaining to literacy development.
