A Historical Look at Science, Equity, and Reading: The Summary Investigations Relating to Reading

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Emerging Directions in Historical Methods

Abstract

We revisit an often forgotten, yet highly influential, archive in the field of reading/literacy. The Summary of Investigations Relating to Reading (SIRRs) were initiated by William S. Gray in 1925. SIRRs continued to be written until 1996. Through content analysis and a “discourse-historical approach” (Wodak & Reisigl, 2001, we analyze SIRR documents to explore the emergence of the field of reading with particular attention to 1.) how reading science is defined and addressed, and 2.) the degree to which cultural/linguistic differences and educational equity are discussed. Conceptualizations of science and equity have become particularly salient in recent years as book banning, attacks on CRT and DEI, and reductive science of reading practices, have become dominant in many schools and classrooms.

Authors

• Catherine F. Compton-Lilly, University of South Carolina

• Rebecca L. Rogers, University of Missouri - St. Louis