2A Historical Perspective on Reading Research and Practice

At the time the International Reading Association was created in 1956, thereading research community was poised at a new juncture in its history(Monaghan & Saul, 1987). The efforts of researchers during this period gave rise to extensive literature on learners and the learning process that re-mains an enduring legacy for the domain of reading. Yet, this was not the only period of significant change the reading community has experienced in the past 50 years. In fact, reading has periodically responded to internal and external forces resulting in both gradual and dramatic transformations to the domain— transformations that have altered reading study and practice. Our purpose here is to position those transformations within a historical framework. As with others (e.g., VanSledright, 2002), we hold that such a historical perspective allows for reasoned reflection and a certain wisdom that can be easily lost when one is im-mersed in ongoing study and practice. That is because a historical perspective broadens the vista on reading and adds a critical dimension to the analysis of present-day events and issues. To capture this historical perspective, we survey eras in reading research and practice that have unfolded in the past 50 years and that symbolize alterna