Global Variation in Literacy Development

Bringing together an international team of scholars, this pioneering book presents the first truly systematic, cross-linguistic study of variation in literacy development. It draws on a wide range of cross-cultural research to shed light on the key factors that predict global variation in children's acquisition of reading and writing skills, covering regions as diverse as North and South America, Asia, Australia, Europe and Africa. The first part of the volume deals with comprehensive reviews related to the variation of literacy in different regions of the globe as a function of socio-political, sociocultural, and language and writing system factors. The second part of the volume deals with comprehensive reviews related to the variation of literacy in different world regions. Offering a pioneering new framework for global literacy development, this groundbreaking volume will remain a landmark in the fields of literacy development and literacy teaching and learning for years to come.

Ludo Verhoeven is Professor of Communication, Language, and Literacy in the Behaviour Science Institute at Radboud University Nijmegen and at the University of Curaçao.

Sonali Nag is Professor of Psychology and Education and Education Fellow of Brasenose College, University of Oxford.

Charles Perfetti is Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Director of the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

Kenneth Pugh is Professor of Psychology at the University of Connecticut and Associate Professor of Linguistics and Medicine at Yale University, and he is President and Director of Research, and Senior Scientist at Haskins Laboratories.