Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read - Softcover

Smith, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080584712X ISBN 13: 9780805847123

Publisher: Routledge, 2004

Synopsis

Understanding Reading revolutionized reading research and theory when the first edition appeared in 1971 and continues to be a leader in the field. In the sixth edition of this classic text, Smith's purpose remains the same: to shed light on fundamental aspects of the complex human act of reading--linguistic, physiological, psychological, and social--and on what is involved in learning to read. The text critically examines current theories, instructional practices, and controversies, covering a wide range of disciplines but always remaining accessible to students and classroom teachers. Careful attention is given to the ideological clash that continues between whole language and direct instruction and currently permeates every aspect of theory and research into reading and reading instruction. To aid readers in making up their own minds, each chapter concludes with a brief statement of "Issues."

Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read, Sixth Edition is designed to serve as a handbook for language arts teachers, a college text for basic courses on the psychology of reading, a guide to relevant research on reading, and an introduction to reading as an aspect of thinking and learning. It is matchless in integrating a wide range of topics relative to reading while, at the same time, being highly readable and user-friendly for instructors, students, and practitioners.

About this title

About the Author

Frank Smith is a writing and researcher with current research interests focusing on the social, psychological, and educational consequences of all aspects of human technology, including language. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Western Australia, and his Ph.D. in psycholinguistics is from Harvard University. He has been associated with many research projects and has published over 20 books and numerous papers related to literacy, thinking, learning, and education. Dr. Smith was a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Linguistics Department of the University of Toronto for 12 years, and for three years was Lansdowne Professor of Language in Education at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In 1992 he was distinguished visiting professor and head of the new Department of Applied English Language Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 080584712X
• ISBN 13: 9780805847123
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 6
• Number of pages: 388