Critical Literacy Research Articles

The Development of Intercultural Competence for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language through an Instructional Design Project

Most teaching pedagogies in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes prioritize linguistic skills development over exploring how cultural factors shape language interpretation. To address the gap, this study developed and evaluated an instructional design project using the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) motivational design model combined with critical pedagogy through computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools. The purpose of this research is to enhance EFL teachers’ intercultural competence. Multimedia resources were used to capture participants’ attention, and news articles were selected to connect to their lived experiences. Online forums were used to build their confidence, and intercultural activities provided satisfaction through practical engagement. Critical literacy pedagogy guided the design of questions to encourage EFL teachers to explore assumptions, challenge perspectives, and critically analyze language. Data from 16 EFL teachers’ questionnaires, online comments, and interviews indicated that task attractiveness and the online environment motivated EFL teachers to develop critical literacy skills. Future studies could explore additional strategies for integrating intercultural competence into EFL teaching and examine how cultural dynamics within groups influence online communication.

Authoring Counter-Narratives: Showcasing Student Voice through Critical Stance

In this teaching tip, we provide a method for teaching middle and secondary English language arts (ELA) students to assume a critical stance while reading and responding to diverse literature and media. Specifically, we address the infusion of critical literacy as a pedagogy to enable students to engage in criticality by identifying negative stereotypes and harmful biases, and then take action by offering counter perspectives. We begin with a brief discussion on critical literacy as a means to promote critical stance, followed by the learning activities for classroom instruction and a student example to illustrate the power of critical stance to promote student agency. Our method for critical stance instruction draws upon Rosenblatt’s (1978) seminal work on literature-based instruction that reading is a transaction between the reader and the text and Leland et al. (2018) who explicated that readers need to engage in critical transactions—a dimension of critical literacy.

Norse gods on Instagram - Developing critical literacy through multimodal text production

Norse gods on Instagram - Developing critical literacy through multimodal text production

Teaching infectious diseases during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic – middle school teachers’ choice of content and instructional approaches

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic impacted immensely in schools worldwide, emphasising the pivotal importance of infectious diseases. This study aims to delineate the teaching of diseases in middle schools, investigating how content and instruction was influenced in the aftermath of the pandemic. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with teachers. The analytical method involved thematic analysis. The first analysis concerned teaching content was based on the framework of contagion literacy. The second analysis investigated the teaching approaches through an inductive analysis. The findings suggest that the pandemic had an impact on the biology teaching in relation to infectious diseases. During the pandemic, teaching largely revolved around student-initiated, question-driven discussions about current events related to societal health initiatives within schools, rather than expanding the planned biology curriculum. The main finding is that teachers focused on hygiene and to influence students’ behaviours interactively. The pandemic was not fully exploited by the participating teachers to develop more curriculum-based teaching including functional and critical health literacy perspectives. The study recommends that biology teachers collaborate with school health teams and engage in interdisciplinary work. We also suggest to amend primary science teacher education to meet the need to teach the young people in the event of future pandemics.

Educating emergent bilingual youth in high school: The promise of critical language and literacy education by Park, J. Y. (2023)

AbstractEducating Emergent Bilingual Youth in High School: The Promise of Critical Language and Literacy Educationby J. Y. Park narrates the educational experiences of seven emergent bilingual youth in English as a second language (ESL) classrooms. This book review underlines how Park uses critical language pedagogies in action to shed light on students' assets and challenge the deficit perspectives teachers and schools may have about them. Through these critical lenses, three ESL teachers and the emergent bilingual youth explore themes related to race, identity, and citizenship through effective pedagogical strategies such as dialogic problem‐posing, translanguaging through “poetry inside out,” the use of multimodal texts and student‐led research. As students embark on their learning journey, they develop their literacy, critical, and reflective skills, manifesting their agentive selves. The book also provides suggestions for emergent bilingual educators, schools, teacher education programs, researchers, and policymakers to disrupt deficit views of emergent bilinguals that keep them from seeing their full potential. In addition, it advocates for ESL teachers, who often are not supported at their schools, and for emergent bilinguals who should not and cannot leave their funds of knowledge and stories outside the classroom door.

Evaluating the Impact of an AI Critical Friend on Student Research Proposals, Critical AI Literacy, and Transparent Collaborative Assessment Practices

This paper presents a work-in-progress report on an innovative approach to integrating generative AI capabilities into the assessment process, focusing on research proposal development. Specifically, the study explores the impact of incorporating an AI-powered "critical friend" that provides targeted feedback and guidance to students as they craft their research proposals. The aim is to evaluate how this AI-powered support system affects students' critical AI literacy, the quality and transparency of the collaborative assessment process, and, ultimately, the strength of the final research proposals. Through a mixed-methods approach combining surveys, focus groups, and analysis of student work and interactions with generative AI, the researchers seek to uncover key insights on the benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations of leveraging AI to enhance the research proposal development experience. The findings from this study will contribute to the growing body of literature on the role of AI in academic assessments and provide practical recommendations for educators and institutions looking to responsibly integrate these emerging technologies.

Using Large Language Models to Enhance Genre-Based English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Writing: A Path to Sustainable Development

In the context of the evolving digital era, this study introduces a conceptual model that integrates Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing, leveraging Critical Digital Literacies (CDL). It aims to develop EFL doctoral students' competencies necessary for sustainable development, addressing the gap in current genre-based EAP instruction that often neglects comprehensive ESD competencies such as systems thinking and self-awareness. Utilizing innovative tools like ChatGPT within a CDL framework, the model focuses on both explicit teaching objectives related to genre knowledge and implicit ones tied to ESD. Specifically, the study outlines eight scenarios where GPT technology aids in achieving these pedagogical goals. By implementing this model, we aim not only to enrich the EAP writing curriculum but also to subtly shift educational practices towards embracing the values of sustainability and digitalization.

Optimizing Collaboration and Communication Skills of Pre-Service Biology Teachers Based on Cognitive Styles through Scientific Paper Tasks

Collaboration and communication have become essential skills in biology learning today. This research aims to describe pre-service biology teacher students' collaboration and communication skills based on reflective and impulsive cognitive styles through scientific paper tasks. This research is designated employing exploratory research using quantitative and qualitative paradigms. The subjects were five reflective and five impulsive students. This study used a familiar figure-matching test to assess cognitive style and an observation sheet to evaluate collaboration and communication skills. The results reveal that impulsive students with high collaboration skills are more than 50%, while reflective students with high collaboration skills are less than 50%. Reflective and impulsive students show distinct strengths in various indicators of communication skills. This research concludes that impulsive students' collaboration skills are superior to those of reflective students. Based on the communication skills indicators, impulsive and reflective students each have different advantages in communication skills. The results have implications for improving the quality of pre-service biology teacher graduates. Pre-service biology teacher students who can write scientific papers will have their 21st-century skills trained. The 21st-century skills trained in writing scientific papers include collaboration and communication, critical thinking, creativity, and digital and information literacy. These 21st-century skills are essential for individuals, including teachers, to face complex problems in the global era.

Fostering Critical Digital Literacy Through Podcasting, Collaborative Work, and Oral Interaction

Introduction: Mastering a second or foreign language, especially oral communication, is complex and challenging, influenced by external pressures as seen in Colombia's education and language policy reforms, which compel teachers and institutions to address how to develop language skills with students. Objective: This study aimed to explore how collaborative podcast development, as a critical digital literacy practice, can enhance 11th graders' oral and critical interaction in English. Methodology: Conducted in a public school, the research employs a qualitative approach within a case study methodology. Although quantitative techniques like checklists and questionnaires were used for data collection, the study maintains a qualitative design. Through semi-structured interviews with a subgroup of five students, participants reflect on their experiences of collaborative learning and interaction in English while constructing a podcast. Data was analyzed using a triangulation method. Findings: Thematic analysis revealed that collaborative podcast development promoted English oral interaction among participants, fostering collaboration, exchange of thoughts and feelings, and increased language confidence. Discussion and Conclusions: The study advocates for a reexamination of digital practices in the classroom to promote English oral interaction from a critical perspective. It recommends collaborative podcast development as a digital practice to enhance oral interaction, empowering students to use English in social and academic contexts.

Ten Simple Rules for Incorporating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into Environmental and Natural Science Courses

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to combat poverty, inequality, and climate change. Recently, integrating these goals into higher education curricula has emerged as essential for fostering positive environmental and civic engagement. Challenges persist, particularly the prioritization of social and economic concerns over eco-centered principles and ecopedagogy. Education must emphasize the politics of environmental issues, advocating sustainable practices that benefit both humans and nonhuman species. This article proposes ten simple rules for incorporating the SDGs into undergraduate courses in ecology, evolution, and environmental science. We conducted a literature review, analyzing 940 publications from 2014 to 2024 using ISI Web of Science and Google Scholar. We focused on fields like Green Sustainable Science and Technology and Environmental Education to identify the best practices for integrating SDGs. Our findings link pedagogical successes to the SDGs, facilitating effective educational strategies. For practical sustainability education, students must grasp the interplay between the environment and societal elements such as diversity, justice, and resilience. Connecting course topics to the SDGs offers a powerful framework for teaching undergraduates about complex environmental challenges. Our research highlights a novel approach to embedding SDGs in environmental education, promoting critical thinking and literacy across various settings.

““The last bastion of democracy”: teachers’ perceptions of the democratic potential of English curriculum”

Purpose Faced with increasing systemic constraints and pressures, secondary school English teachers often implement transactional approaches to pedagogy and curriculum aimed at improving student results on external exams, which are then used to rank schools. Despite the pressure to teach this way, teachers acknowledge the power of literature, literacy and language in the English curriculum as vehicles for educating students to be critical readers of texts for a democratic society. As such, the purpose of this paper is to share perspectives of secondary English teachers in relation to the democratic potential of their subject. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative case study method, this paper shares data from six Australian secondary school English teachers who work in culturally diverse schools. Teachers were interviewed about their perspectives regarding how the Australian English curriculum enabled and/or constrained the teaching of critical and creative thinking in support of a democratic society. Findings Using Marri’s model of multicultural democratic education, interview data were deductively analyzed to identify elements of the model, including critical pedagogies, disciplinary content and community building. Teachers were concerned that building critical literacy skills was minimized by the system and students’ personal dispositions. Originality/value The English teachers in this study held a strong belief that the subject of English could emancipate students, although they felt it might be “the last bastion” for a democratic education.

Validation of Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for High School Students

Background: Nutrition literacy is the individuals' motivation and ability to obtain, process, and understand nutrition information and the skills needed in order to make appropriate nutrition decisions. The present study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the Chongqing Middle School Nutrition Literacy Scale (CM-NLS). Methods: The CM-NLS questionnaire was translated into Farsi and then back-translated, and its face validity and quantitative and qualitative content validity were investigated in a descriptive-cross-sectional study. This review was conducted using the opinions of expert faculty members. Besides, the Persian version was tested in a sample of 400 students of the first grade of high school in Bandar Anzali city. For this purpose, two schools were randomly selected and sampled using census method. Cronbach's alpha test method was used to examine reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate construct validity (RMSEA=0.062). Results: In checking face validity, changes were made in the questionnaire, and some items were removed in content validity evaluation by calculating content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI). In reliability analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.74 for functional literacy, 0.82 for interactive literacy, and 0.84 for critical literacy. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to measure the construct validity. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained, the CM-NLS questionnaire with 33 items, is a valid and reliable tool and can be used to measure the nutrition literacy of high school students.

A study on the affordances of digital fairy-tale rewriting: A critical literacy approach to digital multimodal composing

Digital multimodal composing (DMC) is the production of texts using multimodal semiotic resources and digital tools. This study integrated critical literacy pedagogy into DMC in an EFL context through both course design and task design, proposing digital fairy-tale rewriting (DFTR) as a genre of DMC for critical literacy practices. Taiwanese university students in the study created multimodal videos of retold fairy tales addressing social issues to promote critical literacy. The study adopted a conceptual framework of DMC affordances to examine the possibilities afforded by DFTR. Affordances refer to the potential and limitations of a mode for meaning representation and communication, as perceived by teachers and students. Data collected included participants’ surveys, reflective writings, and analysis of the DMC artifacts. Results indicated substantial evidence of technological, educational, and social benefits of DFTR compared to past learning experiences, with enhanced affordances including transmediation, multiliteracies, creativity, and civic participation. Digital skills and multimodal literacy were developed to strengthen critical literacy learning across four dimensions, enriching prior studies on DMC affordances and critical literacy scholarship. The study also contributed a refined conceptual framework of DFTR affordances, expanded by new affordances of generating interest, nurturing creativity and multiple perspectives, and promoting more active civic participation.

Poverty porn or poverty planning? Slum photography and the politics of spatial representation

This forum article critically examines the politics of visual representation in urban informality, interrogating the genealogies and contemporary manifestations of what we term the “slum gaze.” Drawing on postcolonial theory, feminist visual studies, and critical urban geography, we trace how colonial visualities continue to shape aesthetic constructions of urban marginality through “poverty porn” and spectacles of abjection. We argue that dominant visual regimes not only reflect but actively produce urban informality as a pathologized state of being, rationalizing dispossessive planning interventions while obscuring subaltern spatial knowledges and practices. The article unpacks the contradictory role of visuality in urban planning and policymaking, where GIS mappings and documentary photography paradoxically render informal settlements simultaneously hyper-visible and illegible to state bureaucracies. Against reductive visual grammars inherited from colonial modernity, we advocate for participatory visual methodologies that amplify resident-driven representational practices. By centering community-based visual epistemologies, we gesture toward more emancipatory modes of seeing and narrating the heterogeneous spaces of urban informality. Ultimately, this intervention calls for a paradigmatic shift in how urban scholars and practitioners engage visually with marginalized communities. We contend that cultivating critical visual literacies attuned to the politics of representation is essential for imagining and enacting more just urban futures. This requires moving beyond simplistic denunciations of “poverty porn” toward a praxis of critical visuality that unsettles universalizing gazes while legitimizing plural ways of seeing, knowing, and inhabiting the city.

How can AR-enhanced books support early readers? Exploring literacy development through AR design principles

Early readers go through critical literacy development that have a significant impact on their future reading, academic performance, and lifelong learning. Previous studies have found that AR books designed for literacy development are effective, especially with improved vocabulary and motivation (Cai et al.,2022). Much of AR-enhanced books are not designed with considerations for literacy development. This study extends previous studies by examining whether and how AR-enhanced books may support such critical literacy development through informal, recreational reading. Young readers were observed as they read a set of AR-enhanced books. Their literacy behavior consisting of literacy skills and motivation were analyzed in relation to AR design principles to explore how and when the design principles engaged literacy behavior. Findings show that AR books, even if they are not designed for literacy development, may provide opportunities for engagement and development of literacy skills and motivation. A pattern of relations between literacy behavior, including print concept, vocabulary, interest, and attentional control, and AR design principles were observed. The implications for design and implementation of AR design principles and AR-enhanced books to support different readers is discussed.

Improving Primary Students' Reading Engagement and Critical Literacy through Interactive Read-Aloud

This study explores reading activity using the Interactive Read-aloud approach to foster students' reading engagement and critical literacy. It also examines teachers' strategies to make interactions easier in an EFL classroom. In order to address the research problems, an exploratory sequential mix method was used, which included classroom observation, written papers, and an experiment in the classroom. The result of the study revealed that several strategies in applying critical literacy during interactive read-aloud were identified: juxtaposition, problem-solving, bookmark technique, say something, connection stem, switching and thinking hats. The test score of the experimental group has shown significant improvement from using the Interactive read-aloud approach, from 71.47 on the pretest to 87.47 on the posttest. The students also expressed varied enthusiasm and agreement regarding the benefits and enjoyment of Interactive Read-aloud. It is hoped that the practice of Interactive read-aloud can be widely used by teachers, parents, or educational practitioners to engage students in reading, enhance their motivation, and foster their critical literacy.

Development and reliability and validity testing of a medication literacy scale for medical college students

BackgroundIrrational drug use has become a global problem threatening human health. As future health professionals, medical college students’ medication literacy (ML) is critical. Their mastery of medication-related knowledge will directly affect public medication safety in the future.MethodsThe initial scale was developed through a literature review and was modified through expert consultation and student interviews to form the initial scale with 14 items. In 2020, a questionnaire survey was conducted among students in a medical college for item analysis, reliability test, validity test and other analyses.ResultsThe total Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.826 and split-half reliability was 0.852. The Cronbach’s α coefficients for functional medication literacy, communicative medication literacy, and critical medication literacy were 0.901, 0.858, and 0.851, respectively. The item-level content validity index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.833 to 1.000 (≥ 0.78). Factor analysis of 14 items showed that KMO = 0. 852(> 0.7) and Bartlett’s spherical test p < 0.001, indicating that the data are very suitable for factor analysis. Three principal axis factors were extracted by principal component analysis, and the total variance interpretation rate was 69.031% (> 40%). The confirmatory factor analysis identified a three-factor model and showed goodness of fit indices for the scale: The χ²/df = 2.623, The Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) = 0.905, The Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.950, Normed Fit Index (NFI) = 0.922, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.938, and The Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.078.ConclusionA new scale for evaluating the medication literacy of Chinese medical college students was preliminarily developed, demonstrating good reliability and validity. Itcan be used as a preliminary measurement tool for assessing medical students’ medication literacy. However, due to the limitations of this study, the practical application of the scale needs to be further examined in a larger sample and should be refined in future studies.

Digital Student Worksheet on Ecology and Biodiversity to Enhance Critical Thinking and Digital Literacy for Middle School Students

Critical thinking skills and digital literacy can be influenced by several factors, one of which is the use of LKPD learning media. LKPD can be used on Ecology and Biodiversity material. This research aims to develop digital LKPD learning media products to improve student’s critical thinking and digital literacy skills at SMP Kartika X-1 Jatinegara, East Jakarta. This type of research is development research using the Hannafin and Peck model, through stages of analysis, design and implementation with evaluation and revision at each stage. The targets of this research were 106 seventh grade students at SMP Kartika X-1, Jatinegara, East Jakarta. Data analysis techniques in this research was n-gain test. The validation results for the development of digital LKPD from media experts and material experts received a score in the very good category. Based on the research results, it can be concluded that digital LKPD media can be developed and is suitable as a learning media for Ecology and Biodiversity material, and is effective enough in improving student’s critical thinking skills and digital literacy

Development of An Integrated Assessment Instrument to Measure Students’ Critical Thinking and Chemical Literacy Skills for Rate of Reaction Topic

Critical thinking is one of the 21st-century skills needed. Understanding chemical literacy can encourage students to be able to think more critically. Given the importance of critical thinking and chemical literacy in chemistry learning, there is a need for an assessment instrument that can measure both abilities. Based on this, the integrated assessment instrument was developed to determine the characteristics and feasibility of the integrated assessment instrument that can measure students' critical thinking skills and chemical literacy on reaction rate materials. The sample in this study is 154 students from two high schools in Makassar City. The feasibility and characteristics of the integrated assessment instrument were analyzed using the Rasch model with the Partial Credit Model-1 Logistic Parameter (PCM-1PL) approach. The results of the analysis show that the 10 items developed are valid and have a high reliability value. The integrated assessment instrument has the characteristics of fit with the model, and the difficulty level of the items is classified as good. The results of this study show that the integrated assessment instrument can be used as a good instrument to measure students' critical thinking skills and chemical literacy on reaction rate materials

Digital Citizenship Practices and Implementation of Learning Modalities in the Higher Education Institutions under the New Normal in General Santos City

While the shift to technology-mediated learning in higher education has been widely documented, less is known about the interplay between digital citizenship practices within institutions, particularly in Mindanao. One of the means to address this gap is by investigating the relationship between these two factors within higher education institutions in General Santos City. While some argue that technological infrastructure and pedagogical innovation are sufficient for effective online and blended learning, this study posits that a strong foundation of digital citizenship is essential for maximizing the benefits of these modalities. Specifically, the research examined four key elements of digital citizenship: digital identity, digital netiquette, digital footprint, and digital privacy, alongside the implementation of learning modalities across curriculum development, supervision of instruction, faculty development, and research and extension services. Data were collected through a structural survey questionnaire. Findings revealed a high level of digital citizenship practices and a very satisfactory implementation of learning modalities. The data indicate that students and teachers alike are well-versed in digital ethics, demonstrating awareness of online safety protocols and responsible internet behaviors. This strong foundation in digital citizenship can be leveraged to develop further the critical thinking and information literacy skills required for navigating the digital landscape of the 21st century. Furthermore, a significant positive relationship was observed between these two factors across all domains. This suggests that strong digital citizenship within HEIs contributes to a more effective adaptation to a technology-driven educational environment.