The period 1978–2008 saw literacy research converge on design-oriented, multimodal practice, integrating cognitive theories of reading with classroom and policy design, while foregrounding equity concerns as early advantages widen into persistent gaps. Across diverse languages and digital contexts, scholars promoted cross-disciplinary methods—syntheses, theoretical modeling, and curriculum redesign—to support meaning-making across print, digital, and multimedia modalities. Historical Significance: This era established a unifying paradigm that treats literacy as a flexible, socially situated design enterprise, adapting to rapidly changing media landscapes and learner contexts, and laying the groundwork for multiliteracies as core pedagogy and policy orientation.