EMTHODOLOGICAL CONCERNS IN EXPERIMENTAL READING RESEARCH: ALL THAT GLITTERS

The potential value of any piece of reading research rests squarely upon the merits of the methodology used to conduct the study. Regrettably, recent years have witnessed the emergence of trends in experimental methodology that deviate considerably from the hypothesis testing model upon which good science depends. This article describes the nature and consequences of liberally or improperly applying traditional research methodology and provides an argument for tempering judgments about the relative contributions that experimental studies make to the professional literature in reading