Handbook of Adolescent Literacy Research

The first comprehensive research handbook of its kind, this volume showcases innovative approaches to understanding adolescent literacy learning in a variety of settings. Distinguished contributors examine how well adolescents are served by current instructional practices and highlight ways to translate research findings more effectively into sound teaching and policymaking. The book emphasizes social and cultural factors in adolescents' approach to communication and response to instruction, and sections address literacy both in and out of schools, including literacy expectations in the contemporary workplace. Detailed attention is given to issues of diversity and individual differences among learners.

Leila Christenbury, EdD, is Professor of English Education at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The author or coauthor of 10 books, she is a frequent speaker on issues of English teaching and learning and has been cited extensively in the national media. Dr. Christenbury has been honored with the Rewey Belle Inglis Award for Outstanding Woman in English Education; VCU’s University Award of Excellence; and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). She is a former editor of [i]English Journal[/i] and a past president of NCTE.

Randy Bomer, PhD, teaches in the Language and Literacy Studies Program in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also directs the Heart of Texas Writing Project. Formerly a middle and high school teacher, he has consulted with urban school districts across the United States. The author of two books and many journal articles, Dr. Bomer is a past president of NCTE.

Peter Smagorinsky, PhD, teaches in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. He currently chairs the NCTE Research Forum. Dr. Smagorinsky has received honors including the Raymond B. Cattell Early Career Award for Programmatic Research from the American Educational Research Association, the Janet Emig Award from NCTE’s Conference on English Education, and the Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Award from the Association of Teacher Educators. He has published 14 books and numerous journal articles.