Thirty years of JRB/JLR: A retrospective of reading/literacy research

Each volume/issue of the past 30 years of the Journal of Reading Behavior/J ournal of Literacy Research, the journal of the National Reading Conference (NRC), was hand-searched to examine trends in literacy research. Perusal o f research articles and special features of the journal revealed trends acr oss decades in authorship, participants, methods, themes, and topics. Findi ngs include that the major themes of text, tests and assessment, and instru ction shifted in importance over the three decades. Unlike results of an ea rlier review of NRC yearbooks, the NRC journal has contained more reports o f quantitative than qualitative research. Recommendations are made to condu ct more integrative reviews and qualitative studies, including special popu lations, varied ethnic and cultural groups, and second-language learners.