Educational Contexts of Literacy

Abstract

Recent research on educational contexts of literacy has focused primarily on a set of central issues and debates: definitions of literacy; basic cognitive, social, and linguistic processes involved in reading and writing; the efficiency and value of various pedagogical approaches and instructional materials; assessment of reading and writing achievement; and access to literacy learning opportunities for students outside the dominant culture and language. These debates and issues have been discussed in previous reviews of research on literacy in theAnnual Review of Applied Linguistics(Grabe 1990, Kaplan, et al. 1984, Srivastava 1990), in recent handbooks of research (e.g., Barr, et al. 1991, Flood, et al. 1991, Pearson, et al. 1984), in major educational research journals (e.g., Applebee 1984, Clifford 1984, Dole, et al. 1991, Erickson 1984), in reviews commissioned by professional education and research organizations (e.g., Adams 1990, Anderson, et al. 1985, Goodman, et al. 1988, Hillocks 1986), and in other articles in this volume.