Reading research in the United Kingdom.

This brief paper summarises current key trends in current reading research in the UK. It focuses on two areas in particular – literacy and reader development, and provides examples of ongoing research in both fields. Recent literacy-based research has been influenced by the implementation of the Government’s National Literacy Strategy, and by subsequent initiatives such as the National Year of Reading and the National Reading Campaign. Reader development activity has grown significantly in recent years, to the extent that the Government has allocated two years of funding specifically to projects in this area, and widespread research is ongoing to investigate the outcome of these projects. The paper concludes with a brief examination of research methodologies, and of a possible increased recognition of the efficacy of qualitative data to demonstrate the value and impact of reading.