Synopses & Reviews
Review
“This book excels at presenting a thoughtful and accessible accounting of the state of affairs in reading development. The authors blend two traditionally separate fields of inquiry--research on reading processes and classroom literacy instruction--in a novel way, advancing our understanding in both areas. This important resource will find an eager audience of graduate-level instructors and students, as well as researchers and practitioners interested in learning more about each other’s domains of expertise while garnering a deeper understanding of the psychology of reading.”--David Therriault, PhD, School of Human Development and Organizational Studies, University of Florida
"I love this book. It provides a thorough overview of all the most important work to date on the psychology of reading. Well organized and easy to read, this is a wonderful text for courses in the psychology of reading or for teacher education reading development courses. Students will benefit from the clear and concise summary of research and the links to classroom practice."--Susan Parault Dowds, PhD, Department of Community Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy, St. Cloud State University, Minnesota
Synopsis
Incorporating cognitive, neuropsychological, and sociocultural perspectives, this authoritative text explains the psychological processes involved in reading and describes applications for educational practice. The book follows a clear developmental sequence, from the impact of the early family environment through the acquisition of emergent literacy skills and the increasingly complex abilities required for word recognition, reading fluency, vocabulary growth, and text comprehension. Linguistic and cultural factors in individual reading differences are examined, as are psychological dimensions of reading motivation and the personal and societal benefits of reading.
Pedagogical Features:
*End-of-chapter discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.
*Explicit linkages among theory, research, standards (including the Common Core State Standards), and instruction.
*Engaging case studies at the beginning of each chapter.
*Technology Toolbox features exploring the pros and cons of computer-assisted learning.
About the Author
Paula J. Schwanenflugel, PhD, is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia, where she teaches courses on the psychology of reading, psycholinguistics, and child development. She is also affiliated with the Linguistics and Cognitive Science programs. Dr. Schwanenflugel has carried out both basic and applied research on the topics of reading fluency, lexical processing, semantic development, and vocabulary knowledge, as well as large-scale, school-based interventions related to literacy. She has published numerous articles in both psychology and education journals, many book chapters related to reading, and two recent books that describe effective research-based classroom literacy practices related to the development of literacy.
Nancy Flanagan Knapp, PhD, is Associate Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology at the University of Georgia, where she teaches courses in literacy and learning theory. She is also affiliated with the Department of Educational Psychology, for which she taught the Psychology of Reading course for 17 years. Her current research focuses on helping struggling readers and improving instruction at the K-12 and postsecondary levels. Dr. Knapp also offers professional development courses and seminars and is the developer of the Reading Apprenticeship Program, a Tier 2 intervention for delayed elementary school readers. She is a founding editor of the journal Teaching Educational Psychology.
Table of Contents
1. Families and Reading
2. Emergent Literacy
3. Learning to Read Words
4. Skilled Word Reading
5. Reading Fluency
6. Vocabulary
7. Theoretical Models of Reading Comprehension
8. Components of Reading Comprehension
9. Motivation to Read
10. Linguistic Variation and Reading
11. Why Reading?: The Psychosocial Benefits of Reading