Expanding the science of reading: Contributions from educational psychology

Abstract

The science of reading consists of a large, evolving, and impressive body of evidence about how humans learn to read and how reading should be taught. This body of evidence has accumulated via diverse epistemological perspectives and methods, yet points to undeniable consensus on many issues (e.g., the importance of explicit phonics instruction, the influence of prior knowledge on reading comprehension). Scholars in educational psychology have robust research programs in the area of reading and are well-positioned to contribute to expanding the science of reading beyond narrow conceptualizations that have been popularized in the media or certain policy efforts. In this paper, we introduce a set of contributions to the special issue that is designed to achieve such expansion by focusing on both the descriptive and explanatory aspects of theory, integrating minoritized perspectives, and contextualizing reading processes and outcomes. Additionally, we illustrate how such an expansion can be done specifically with regard to the role of prior knowledge and a conceptual integrative framework of reading that draws on dynamic systems theory. We conclude by highlighting the theoretical advances the special issue offers collectively and discussing directions for future research.