Planning Research on Learning: An Example in Reading.

The author discusses a need for planning research in reading, since present research seems fragmented, the federal government has not functioned especially well in the area of planning for funding or coordination with professional organizations, and there is a need to attract scientists in a variety of disciplines to work in educational research. The development of a research and development agenda in reading at the National Institute of Education (NIE) started in 1973. Meetings and conferences have been held by a group called the Essential Skills program, which was organized to plan a long-term agenda for reading research and development for NIE. A human information processing model for reading research which will draw on the knowledge of linguists, sociolinguists, logicians, computer scientists, psychologists, and others is the most frequently mentioned methodology suggested by participants in these programs. (MKM)