Review of Research on Learning and Instruction with Specific Reference to Reading Chinese as an Additional Language (1976–2018)

This review, which can be seen as a scoping review, highlights 92 empirical studies about the learning and instruction of reading Chinese as an additional language (CAL) published in English between 1976 and 2018. It first identifies and evaluates the trends of CAL reading research over the past four decades, including the developmental trajectory of the field, topics that are hot versus those not-so-hot, populations that are widely studied versus under studied, research methods adopted in the selected studies, and the most widely cited articles. Second, the review examines direct evidence that supports effective practices of CAL reading instruction and explores two tracks of studies: high-evidence versus low-evidence practices. This review concludes with thoughts on the future directions of CAL reading research inspired by trends in the areas of literacy, second language acquisition (SLA), and teaching Chinese as a second/foreign language (TSCL/TCFL). To be specific, there is a need for the field to pay equal attention to learning to read and reading to learn.