Chapter 1: Theoretical Developments in Reading Chinese and Japanese As foreign Languages

During the past few decades, there has been increased research interest into how readers of languages employing non-alphabetic writing systems develop reading proficiency. Less well publicized is the research strand investigating this developmental process among foreign language learners of Chinese and Japanese, languages that are increasingly available for students in United States educational settings. This chapter will discuss some of the findings of research studies conducted among learners of these languages, and will highlight some of the theoretical frameworks used to anchor various research studies. The chapter will also discuss issues that have achieved importance for teachers of these languages, and point out research directions that seem promising for the future.