Classroom based research investigating the actual context of reading requires examination of the texts chosen, the purposes for which they are to be read, the strategies to be used in actually reading them, and, finally, the outcomes expected from reading them. Among the studies that have pioneered research of this kind are (1) those directed by E. Lunzer and K. Gardner, whose investigations have ranged from detailed studies of the readability of texts used in different subject areas to the nature and incidence of reading in the classroom and reading for home study to the use of reading in conjunction with various learning activities; (2) the survey carried out in association with the work of the Bullock Committee in England, which attempted to provide a clear picture of the nature of reading activities in the classroom as part of their examination of the English curriculum; and (3) the study conducted by D. Durkin, which was concerned with the kind of teacher assistance students received for reading comprehension. Adding to this body of literature is a more recent study that surveyed the teachers' use of extended reading assignments for three classes of first year secondary school students in Northern Ireland. Results of this study indicated that teachers chose texts of a level of readability below the average reading ability of the students concerned, that the texts met some of the important criteria by which they could be judged, that reading assignments were mostly intended as opportunities for elaborating on or reviewing class work, and that answering questions was the activity most frequently associated with the reading assignments. (HOD)