The growing emphasis on reading in the foreign language classroom is examined from the standpoint of learning theory, learning strategies, and classroom practice. The reading process in the native language, the origin and application of new learning strategies in foreign language reading, and modifications and revisions in teaching practices are considered since a coherent theory of foreign language reading and classroom practices reflecting this theory are lacking. New reading strategies have evolved from an emphasis on learning processes rather than specific behavioral objectives. Foreign language teachers must be aware of the fact that student attitudes toward the instructional methods will be an important factor in their learning. Reading for meaning has been advocated as a strategy to produce reading facility. Some studies indicate that visualization strategies in the foreign language classroom can be introduced to increase comprehension. A regression process in reading, the role of context, fluent reading, decoding, and silent speech and comprehension are discussed. Questions are one of the most common tools for foreign language reading and may possibly superimpose a learning strategy on the student. The relationship between a learner's syntactic maturity and reading comprehension is discussed. Factors in vocabulary building and selection of a readable foreign language text are discussed. Suggestions are offered for preliminary reading exercises to prepare for reading fluency, and test results are reported concerning grammar-production training. (SW)