ABSTRACT
Contemporary reading research is a rich mixture of influences from cognitive and physiological psychology, linguistics, anthropology, computer sciences, social psychology, learning theory, and educational practice. The influences range from the most abstract, theoretical points of view to the most practical, applied situations. Current research in reading consequently has at least two clear, definable thrusts. First, research is aimed at understanding the basic nature of the reading process. Attempts to do this include the generation of models and theories of the reading process. Summaries of much of the earlier work in modeling and theory construction can be found in Singer and Ruddell (1970, 1976) and Davis (1971). The currency of this line of effort is evidenced by recent work by Carver (1977-1978), Gough (1972), Gough and Cosky (1975), Gough, Alford, Jr., and Holley-Wilcox (1979), Herndon (1978), Rumelhart (1977), Stanovich (1980), and others. LaBerge and Samuels (1983) continue extending and refining the modeling of the reading process. The second thrust is a renewed and increasingly intense search for better methods of teaching with the ultimate goal of improving education and redUCing illiteracy.
