A Content Analysis of Seven Influential Literacy Research Journals, 2009–2013

• In Event: 49.079 - A Broad View of the Efficacy of Literacy Programs and Policies

Abstract

This study is a content analysis of seven influential literacy research journals from 2009-2013. The purpose is to determine current trends in topics, theories, and methods. In the 653 articles reviewed, the topics, theoretical perspectives, research designs, and data sources were recorded and analyzed using frequency counts by journal and across journals. Additionally, chi-square tests of independence revealed that differences between the topics, theoretical perspectives, designs, and data sources published in these journals were statistically significant. These results suggest that the field of literacy research continues to be fragmented, which has been a concern for literacy researchers since the paradigm wars of the 1980s and 1990s.

Authors

• Seth A. Parsons, George Mason University

• Karen Sutter Doheney, George Mason University

• Lesley King, George Mason University

• Susan V. Groundwater, George Mason University

• Melissa Gallagher, George Mason University

• Erin Marie Ramirez, George Mason University

• Jan Ainger, George Mason University

• Peet Smith, University of Maryland - College Park