My primary research interest focuses on the development of second-language reading competence. I pursue systematic investigations of phenomena influencing second language lexical processing and text comprehension. Second language reading differs from first language reading in that involves two languages. My recent reseach includes empirical examinations of cross-linguistic interaction during processing. To date, findings illuminate (a) the significance of first language literacy experience in the formation of second language metalinguistic awareness, (b) the specific contribution of such awareness to second language lexical development, and (c) amalgamation of literacy experiences in two languages in shaping second language lexical processing competencies. My secondary interest lies in clarifying cross-linguistic variations in reading acquisition and their relation to second language reading development. Because languages differ in the ways they graphically encode phonological and morphological information, metalinguistic awareness varies systematically across languages. Methodical examinations of such differences should substantially enlarge our understanding of the precise influence of structural properties on the formation of lexical processing skills, and, at the same time, permit conceptual explorations of the cognitive and linguistic requisites of literacy in a given language. Currently, I am also involved in pedagogical studies that examine the effectiveness of instructional interventions that are designed to exploit previously acquired reading and learning skills, as cross-linguistically sharable resources, in adult foreign language learners.