Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading —
Abstract of

Chapter 2
A Historical Perspective on Reading Research and Practice

Patricia A. Alexander

Emily Fox

In this piece, the authors survey the past 50 years of reading history and identify five perspectives on learning beginning with the “Era of Conditioned Learning” in the 1950s and progressing to the current “Era of Engaged Learning” that commenced in the mid-1990s. For each era, the authors describe certain internal and external conditions that helped to frame that period, as well as the views and principles of learning that are characteristic of that era. The chapter magnifies and clarifies factors, such as trends in research, that have guided and shaped the identity and evolution of the field of reading.

Alexander, P.A., & Fox, E. (2004). A Historical Perspective on Reading Research and Practice. In R.B. Ruddell, & N.J. Unrau (Eds.), Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading (pp. 33-68). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.