Literary Education Research Articles

Reading to Learn, Reading the World: How Genre-based Literacy Pedagogy is Democratizing Education

Reading to Learn, Reading the World: How Genre-based Literacy Pedagogy is Democratizing Education

Prerequisites for mastering the reading of a Latin text

The paper first outlines the state of the methodology of teaching Roman literature in the Czech Republic (and in the world) and deals with basic considerations about the possible form of literary education in Latin classes. However, the core of the paper is the presentation of the prerequisites necessary for mastering the reading of a Latin text. The paper concludes by offering a possible methodological approach to literary education in Latin classes in the conditions of schools in the Czech Republic and possibly also in Poland.

Pedagogical Principles as the Basis for Multiliteracy Assessment in Literature Learning in Higher Education

The two main topics covered in this paper are the pedagogical principles of multiliteracy as the cornerstone of successful assessment and the ideal forms of literariness in higher education teaching and learning. Evaluating multiliteracy is essential for showing that students have understood the material and proving that they can interact with many genres at the same degree of complexity. These evaluations are also essential for informing decisions about education and curriculum development. Assessments' design must incorporate practical educational concepts to convert theoretical frameworks into proper instruments that guarantee relevance, fairness, and accuracy. Assessments can create a learning environment that supports the development of critical professional skills by upholding solid pedagogical ideas. This study follows Borg and Gall's research and development (R&D) approach, concentrating on the first two phases, Phase 1 (information collection and research) and Phase 2 (planning). It uses needs analysis and research data to direct the evaluation procedure. The results highlight the need to include practical pedagogical components, such as explicit knowledge transformation, real-world practice contexts, and reflective learning, in assessing multiliteracy in literary education. With a heavy emphasis on literary literacy, these guidelines guarantee that evaluations in literary education test critical thinking, creativity, and the capacity to comprehend and produce various types of literacy in addition to content knowledge.

Exploring the Role and Benefits of ChatGPT AI in Enhancing Students' Fiction Writing Literacy: Insights from Learner Experiences

This study explores the perspectives of literature students on utilizing ChatGPT, an AI-powered tool, in creative writing. Focusing on 30 English literature students from Universitas Negeri Medan, the research examines the effectiveness of ChatGPT in fostering creativity, its perceived benefits and challenges, and its role in the writing process. Data were collected via questionnaires and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that ChatGPT significantly enhances creativity, with students rating it highly for its ability to inspire ideas and improve the writing process. The tool was praised for accelerating the writing process and improving writing confidence. However, challenges such as the need for revisions and limitations in contextual understanding were also noted. Despite these drawbacks, the overall sentiment remained positive, with many participants feeling that the benefits of using ChatGPT outweighed its limitations. This study underscores ChatGPT’s potential as a valuable tool in literary education, supporting students' creative autonomy and enriching their writing experiences. This is evidenced by data highlighting the effectiveness of ChatGPT in speeding up the writing process (60%), increasing creativity (46.67%), and increasing confidence in writing (40%), despite challenges such as unmet expectations (46.67%) and requires a lot for revision (33.33%).

Exploring translanguaging practices in synchronous and asynchronous online-instructed first-year academic literacy interventions

While studies in translanguaging pedagogy – intermixing languages fluidly for meaning-making to learn and teach – have focused on understanding its efficacy and viability in promoting learning success in multilingual contexts worldwide, learning through online platforms is becoming increasingly popular. However, little information exists on creating translanguaging spaces for multilingual students in digitally mediated literacy learning in English-monolingual-oriented African university settings. The current study investigates how online resources can be harnessed for first-year translanguaging literacy pedagogy interventions using linguistically fluid, online methods to develop academic reading-for-writing in a university in South Africa, where multilingualism is a norm, but English dominates. The study investigated the productive use and efficacy of translanguaging practices online by adopting a mixed-methods approach with a test design to explore digital-based translingual literacy pedagogy. The quasi-experimental research draws on sociocultural, connectivism and translanguaging fluidity frameworks. Results show that translanguaging in digitalised literacy education, which involves the added flexibility of connectivism in online learning, is effective and improves academic literacy performance. Findings affirm that online translanguaging can enhance the understanding, summarising and paraphrasing of complex theoretical concepts from academic English texts, and is a valuable asset that can help students in online multilingual classrooms develop academic literacy.

Secondary pre-service teachers’ visual literacy: instructional strategies in social studies

While visual literacy pedagogy in teacher preparation programs has been a recognized body of knowledge the past few decades, limited research centers upon secondary teachers who are responsible for integrating visual literacy into content instruction. This study explored how 32 secondary English language arts and social studies pre-service teachers (PSTs) utilized visual displays to teach content in their classrooms. PSTs were tasked with developing instructional strategies based on five commonly used visuals in social studies texts: photographs, images, maps, tables and flowcharts. Through a qualitative analysis of the PSTs’ prompts, three themes emerged: (1) teacher-led activities, (2) writing activities and (3) student-centered activities. Teacher-centred activities were more prevalent, with a majority of PSTs proposing lectures, guided prompts and activities involved comparing and constrasting elements of visuals. Writing activities included reflective writing and writing from a perspective of a historical figure. In contrast, only a few PSTs designed interactive, student-centered activities, such as using student-created visuals, student-lead discussions and student-created presentations. To foster active learners and critical consumers in the 21st century, we propose implications for teacher education programs to promote visual literacy.

Theorizing Digital Dialogic Comprehension Pedagogy With Rural Primary Teachers: A Relational Praxis of Knowledge, Space, and Time

This grounded theory study explored how primary-grade teachers perceive and enact dialogic English Language Arts (ELA) comprehension pedagogy in the novel context of pandemic-induced digital learning. The study involved nine diverse rural primary teachers teaching digitally during the coronavirus disease pandemic. The researchers followed a constructivist, postmodern orientation to co-construct substantive theory with the knowledge of participating teachers. The researchers conducted two rounds of virtual interviews and collected digital artifacts of ELA comprehension instruction. Qualitative data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis to address teacher perceptions and enactments of digital dialogic comprehension instruction. The emergent substantive theory represents connected, iterative processes of teachers perceiving and enacting dialogic, digital instruction. First, teachers espoused a dialogic stance toward ELA instruction based on their beliefs in various comprehension paradigms, diverse funds of knowledge, and multiplicity of voices in discourse. Relatedly, teachers responded to particularities of virtual contexts, digital discourses, and pandemic times to enact dialogic ELA comprehension instruction through a reconstruction of literacy pedagogies. Implications for research and practice are discussed, including the need for ongoing negotiation of dialogic pedagogy in diverse instructional contexts, to cultivate teachers’ dialogic literacy practices in locally and culturally responsive ways.

Enseñanza de la literatura hispanoamericana a través de biografías literarias gráficas / Teaching Spanish-American literature through graphic literary biographies

Graphic literary biographies are a new tool for teaching literature. These comic strips collect the life and literary production of their protagonists, and constitute very elaborated proposals and with a rich intertextuality. This research analyzes six graphic biographies published in recent years on different figures of 20th century Hispanic American literature: Gabriel García Márquez, Juan Rulfo, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Pablo Neruda and Alejandra Pizarnik. A content analysis is carried out to highlight the intertextuality, the paratexts of each work and their didactic possibilities for literary education at different educational levels, also pointing out the relationship between image and text and the degree of fictionality of both. A brief didactic proposal is shown with different activities to exemplify the possibilities of these readings. We conclude by emphasizing that these biographies offer us multiple resources to approach the literary production of their protagonists and confirm the enormous potential of comics as an educational tool.

Literature and ICTE: Issues and Perspectives

Throughout the undulating course of history, literature has remained a steadfast companion to the pursuit of language instruction, defying the ebb and flow of its prominence. Presently, it is experiencing an extraordinary renaissance, and to effectively reintegrate it within language classrooms and ignite learners' enthusiasm, digital technologies have emerged as an invaluable ally. The purpose of this article is to embark on an exploration of the multifaceted role of literature within diverse language teaching methodologies while delving into the intricate interplay between literature didactics and the realm of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). We endeavor to elucidate the notion that digital technology, when wielded as a pedagogical instrument, serves as a veritable fount of innovation in the domain of language and culture instruction, holding immense potential to invigorate learners' motivation.

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.

Integration of Technological Tools in English Literature Pedagogy: Enhancing the Teaching-Learning Experience

Digital technology has transformed English Language anad Literature pedagogy. The use of digital technology in English Literature pedagogy represents a significant advancement in Literature and Language learning, significantly enhancing both teaching and learning processes. Technology helps students learn more effectively, which helps educators improve their instruction. The method keeps developing to help teachers acquire a language more quickly for their students. Teachers choose software-based instructional systems that enhance students' positive interactions with their instructors and promote the acquisition of the English language in its entirety. This research aims to explore the integration of digital technological tools in English Literature and Language teaching and it endorses various methods to encourage the best possible instruction. It also investigates a variety of facets of teaching and technological resources that gives educators access to cutting-edge tools for effective and high-quality instruction. For this study, an explanatory qualitative methodod is opted (Creswell & Poth, 2018). For the survey of the literature, a linguistic and traditional description of the technology, and a thorough analysis of its relevance to currently used teaching techniques have all been conducted. The findings address key challenges by emphasizing the potential of digital and contemporary tools to enhance language education. The study advocates for the use of digital technological tools tools to improve Enlish language learning.

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.

Representations of Nonhuman Animals in Bulgarian Literary Education

Through an educational perspective, the paper traces the attitudes towards nonhuman animals, the human-nonhuman relations, and the ideologies included in the literature curriculum developed by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Sciences. Comparing the official programmes with certain literary textbooks, I examine various representations of nonhuman animals in the latter. I study which authors who wrote about nature and nonhuman animals are included in the curriculum, which of their literary works are studied in school, what interpretational directions are offered, what approaches to human-nonhuman relations are chosen, and what types of thinking are encouraged and cultivated.

Research on Natural Imagery and Emotional Expression in Classical Chinese Poetry

Classical Chinese poetry, with its rich natural imagery and profound emotional expression, is regarded as a treasure of Chinese culture. Natural imagery not only plays a significant artistic role in classical poetry but also serves as a unique vehicle for poets to express their emotions. This paper systematically reviews the origins and development of natural imagery in classical Chinese poetry, analyzes the intrinsic connection between its symbolic meaning and emotional expression, and explores its value and implications in contemporary poetry creation, cross-cultural communication, and literary education. The study finds that natural imagery in classical Chinese poetry has multiple symbolic functions and serves as an essential tool for emotional expression by poets. As time progresses, the characteristics of these expressions have also evolved. In the contemporary context, inheriting and innovating these natural images holds great significance for literary creation and cultural inheritance.

Creative Pedagogy in Information Literacy

Creative pedagogy is not well defined and has not yet received much attention in the field of library and information science. This research employed constructivist grounded theory, through semi-structured interviews conducted with library information literacy instructors, to better understand the role of creative pedagogy in information literacy. The aim of the research was to synthesize findings into a theory to better understand how and to what extent creative pedagogy is being applied in the teaching of information literacy. The findings show that although they do not necessarily use the language of creativity, many library instructors are integrating elements of creative pedagogy into their teaching. Perceived challenges, such as being a guide or guest in someone else’s classroom and in connecting with students around information, as well as opportunities in both the physical and virtual classroom spaces, seem to require a shift in the way information literacy engagement takes place. Library instructors recognize the need for these shifts but many struggle to implement an alternative approach in the information classroom. At the same time, library instructors face several barriers, including a lack of preparation for their teaching role and the limitations of the one-shot instruction session.

Contesting literacies: Beyond the hidden curriculum of the Neoliberal Arts

This essay challenges the broad, ongoing neoliberal transformation of higher education as expressed in contemporary literacy pedagogies based in and around Learning Management Systems. Building on Chantal Mouffe’s conception of agonistic democracy, we seek to model and encourage an alternative–a critical literacy that highlights competing hegemonic projects and the need for active engagement of all in shaping the politics of knowledge.

Understanding literacy as human practice: exploring stories about (people like) us

ABSTRACT This paper examines literacy as a sociocultural, personal and human practice dependent on and derived through relationships between people, settings and culture. Drawing on a recent empirical research study that combines learner, teacher and author perspectives [Curtin (2023) Reading and Writing Pathways Through Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Exploring Literacy, Identity and Story with Authors and Readers. Routledge], I explore how children’s literature may be used to develop meaningful and authentic literacy pedagogies in the primary classroom. The research methodology for this study employed interviews with sixteen international and award-winning children’s literature authors. This paper presents one author's interview from the study in detail in an effort to illustrate the importance of identity and personal resonance in literacy learning. To this end, funds of knowledge [Moll, Amanti, Neff, and Gonzalez. (1992). “Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms.” Theory Into Practice 31 (2): 132–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849209543534] and light and dark [Zipin (2009). “Dark Funds of Knowledge, Deep Funds of Pedagogy: Exploring Boundaries Between Lifeworlds and Schools.” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 30 (3): 317–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596300903037044] pedagogical approaches are applied in a discussion of genre study using (auto) biographical text in the primary classroom. Identity affirming and culturally resonant pedagogies developed seek to engage learners in literacy as a human practice. The paper concludes by considering key insights and ways forward.

Unsettling the Familiar: Experiential Human Rights Learning through Civic Monuments at the University of Winnipeg

Abstract Research shows that experiential learning improves student learning, engagement and retention and yet, despite growth in university undergraduate human rights programmes, relatively little is known about experiential learning in the human rights classroom. This article examines a low-cost and online-adaptable experiential learning assignment focused on civic statues and monuments in Winnipeg, Canada. The assignment and supporting activities, speakers and resources were implemented in thirteen sections (online and in-person) of a prerequisite-free undergraduate human rights course over two academic years. Surveys were circulated to students before and after the assignment examining their perspective on key concepts and their own skill and capacity. As a result of the activity students indicated a heightened understanding of the role of monuments and representation as human rights issues, a broadened interpretation of expertise in relation to monuments, and an increased self-perception of skills and capacity related to monument analysis. This article contributes to the emerging literature on human rights education in higher education and to the need for accessible, scalable, and online-adaptable forms of experiential learning. Human Rights is a growing field at the undergraduate level, and our project can usefully contribute to the literature and practice of human rights pedagogy.

STUDENTS’ VIRTUAL DRAMA PERFORMANCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN THE DIGITAL ERA: CREATIVITY AND ADAPTATION IN LEARNING

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated rapid adaptation to digital and remote learning, fundamentally altering traditional pedagogical practices. For English Education students, especially those engaged in literature courses, drama performance has long been a valuable tool for exploring and expressing literary understanding. However, the sudden shift to online learning environments presented unique challenges, pushing students to reconceptualize drama performance in a virtual setting. This study investigates how English Education students creatively adapted to these changes by producing virtual drama performances through the Zoom platform. The integration of virtual backgrounds, designed using Canva, allowed students to construct imaginative settings that supported narrative immersion, despite the physical separation. This research highlights the ways students utilized digital tools to convey dramatic elements and literary interpretation, transforming conventional stagecraft into an innovative, digital form of storytelling. Through in-depth analysis, this article explores how these virtual performances not only maintained the integrity of drama as a medium for literary education but also fostered critical technological skills that are increasingly relevant in the digital era. The findings demonstrate that virtual drama projects encouraged students to combine creativity with technical proficiency, enhancing their adaptability, digital literacy, and ability to collaborate in a remote context. This study underscores the evolving role of literature-based performance in English Language Teaching (ELT), suggesting that the integration of digital tools in creative projects may serve as a sustainable model for literature education in the post-pandemic future.

Literarnodidaktične paradigme in najpomembnejša literarna besedila pri pouku književnosti na slovenskih gimnazijah

The article presents the results of a survey conducted among Slovenian language professors in high schools, indicating a predominant emphasis on the cultural-literary didactic model that aligns with the systemic didactics of literature. Subsequent results are related to the model of personal growth, corresponding to the reception didactics of literature. The article then provides an overview of the literary texts considered by Slovenian language professors as the most important for study in high schools, primarily focusing on classic literary works by Slovenian and foreign authors.