The summaries are grouped according to subject of the investigation. Summaries are brief and designed as a tool to find appropriate research rather than as replacements for reading the published articles.
Offering the wisdom that only experience and expertise in the field can bring, this book takes a critical look into the present and the future of literacy as envisioned by leading reading researchers. The lead author of each chapter, and in some cases more than one, of the authors, is a distinguished reading researcher elected by their peers into the Reading Hall of Fame. In this book these distinguished literacy leaders extend their role as researchers to speak directly to issues of practice and policy. All chapters address the theme of literacy and the teaching of literacy as being in a constant state of change. The authors are theoretical as they describe literacy, literacy acquisition, and the teaching of literacy; they are practical as they examine the issues that classroom teachers and reading specialists engage with on a daily basis; and they are political as they advocate for informed policy at the local, state and national levels. A key message in this book is that literacy professionals must take an active role to shape change.
This book is a roadmap to the key decisions, processes, and procedures to use when synthesizing qualitative literacy research. Covering the major types of syntheses – including the dissertation literature review, traditional literature review, integrative literature review, meta-synthesis, and meta-ethnography – Compton-Lilly, Rogers, and Lewis Ellison offer techniques and frameworks to use when making sense of a large body of scholarship. Addressing the standard and untraditional forms a research synthesis can take, the authors provide clear and practical examples of synthesis designs and techniques, and consider how epistemological, ontological, and ethical questions arise when designing and adapting a research synthesis. The extensive appendices feature sample literature reviews, guidance on communication with editors of journals, useful charts, and more. The authors’ critical reflection and analysis demonstrates how a research synthesis is not simply a means to an end, but rather reflects each scholar’s interests, target audience, and message. This book is crucial reading for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early career and more experienced researchers in literacy education.