Past Literacy Research Articles

In-service teachers’ challenges to implementing an approach to critical thinking and critical reading in Chile

The present study reports on the challenges of implementing an approach to critical thinking and critical reading in English language teaching (ELT) in Chile. Participants in this research are in-service teachers of English enrolled in a Master’s course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Chile. In order to develop and construct a thorough understanding of the participants’ past and present academic literacy experiences, they were invited for one-to-one meetings (semi-structured interviews) where, rather than reminiscing about past literacy experiences, they were encouraged to engage in narratives about their experiences with and challenges of developing a socially critical awareness of literacy at university, and in their current teaching practices. Analysis of the participants’ accounts revealed, first and foremost, the pervasive presence of literacy practices that reflect and favor a strong culture of compliance over critical reflection, and, secondly, great concerns about the lack of systematic preparation in English teacher education (ETE) programs to develop and implement a more critical stance toward critical thinking and critical reading. The paper concludes by interrogating and challenging current university practices that, based on the participants’ views, seem to replicate a culture that reproduces both social and cultural inequalities.

Improving quality of life perception with ICT use and technological capacity in Europe

Quality of life is a key element in the sustainable development of countries, regions and cities. However, due to the difficulties involved in measuring it, there are no clear criteria as to which aspects of the economy should be enhanced in order to improve life conditions. In this respect, just as in the past literacy enabled human development and integration, these days, the use of new technologies and technological capacity are key elements that facilitate citizens' development. In this study, we use the information available in the Flash Eurobarometer 419 and Eurostat data on Information and Communications Technology to analyse the factors that Europeans consider key to achieving a better quality of life. We can thus see how the use of new technologies and technological capacity influence these factors. This analysis has been carried out at the highest level of disaggregation possible given the available information, and includes a total of 79 European NUTS 2 regions. The results reveal a clear relationship between technology and quality of life; the digital citizen is happier and values living in regions/cities with technological capacity, which invest in R&D, and which are committed to achieving sustainable growth.

Streaming, tracking and reading achievement: A multilevel analysis of students in 40 countries.

Grouping similar students together within schools (streaming) or classrooms (tracking) based on past literacy skills (reported by parents), family socioeconomic status (SES) or reading attitudes might affect their reading achievement. Our multilevel analysis of the reading tests of 208,057 fourth-grade students across 40 countries, and their parents’, teachers’, principals’, and their survey responses yielded the following results. Streaming was linked to higher reading achievement (consistent with customized instruction), but tracking was linked to lower reading achievement (consistent with more help opportunities). Students had higher reading achievement when classmates had stronger past literacy skills (suggesting sharing ideas) or extremely poor ones (help opportunities). Also, when classmates have higher family SES, students had higher reading achievement (suggesting sharing resources), with diminishing marginal returns. When classmates’ family SES differed more (more diversity), students with greater past literacy skills had higher reading achievement (Matthew effect). Lastly, when classmates had better reading attitudes, students with lower past literacy skills showed higher reading achievement (modeling, norms). When classmates’ reading attitudes differed more, students had higher reading achievement (contrasting cases), although extreme differences weakened this link (less homophily). These results suggest that streaming across schools and mixing of students within classrooms (by past achievement, family SES and reading attitudes) are linked to overall reading achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Topicality of Linguistic Competence and Performance Teaching at Higher Educational Institutions

Highly developed economies of the West are characterized by innovative-orientation, and the modern economy is viewed as the “knowledge economy”.Competitiveness of the higher educational institutions graduates is determined by their “global thinking” based on the human values, principles of citizenship, ability to further education and development as well as self-upbringing.It is stated in research papers that nowadays EFL competence is not a trait of a person from the elicit community but a necessary skill of all the employees as well as in the past literacy was the characteristic of upper class and at present it is important for any average person.It is evident that good knowledge of English language provides export and import of intellectual capital, that is, academic mobility of lecturers and students, their participation in the international conferences and involvement into the international projects, mutual programs and developments.Writing became very important only after competence-oriented approach of Bachelors’ and Masters’ instruction was introduced in the Russian Federation because creative writing became necessary for the new educational standards. Significance of writings is determined by the shift of the higher educational institutions to the grant earning activity, connected with writing lots of documents such as application letters, reports, blogs, e-mails, forms, working papers and papers in the international repositories. Moreover qualification demands to the international exams’ results comprise writing skills at least at the Intermediate level. It is important to understand that writing teaching is not a linear process. It is a complex and multi-hierarchical process, the result of which is a shift to communicative variant of texts, that are not adapted to the learning process and are closely connected with actual situations of life. Creative writing is a very complex, time-consuming and slow process, but it is one of the challenges of the modern linguo-didactics. Interdisciplinary approach is applied for both learning fiction and for creating one’s own texts. Reading works of fiction, their discussion, analysis and composing one’s own texts is the affective and cognitive process. Reflexive work stimulates emotional feedback of the students, and improves the teaching effect. It is important that specialists in linguo didactics consider learning fiction as the second best way to understand the foreign language environment, the first being staying among the native speakers in their own country. This fact proves that learning fiction is very useful for formation of the EFL competence at the high level.

Classmate characteristics and student achievement in 33 countries: Classmates’ past achievement, family socioeconomic status, educational resources, and attitudes toward reading.

Classmates can influence a student’s academic achievement through immediate interactions (e.g., academic help, positive attitudes toward reading) or by sharing tangible or intangible family resources (books, stories of foreign travel). Multilevel analysis of 141,019 fourth-grade students’ reading achievements in 33 countries showed that classmates’ family factors (parent socioeconomic status [SES], home educational resources) were more strongly related to a student’s reading achievement than were classmates’ characteristics (parent ratings of past literacy skills, attitudes toward reading). However, these classmate links to reading achievement differed across students (e.g., high-SES classmates benefited high-SES students more than low-SES students). Also, links between classmates’ past reading achievement and a student’s current reading achievement were stronger in countries that were richer, were more collectivist, or avoided uncertainty less. These findings show how an ecological model of family and classmate microsystems, classmate family mesosystem, and country macrosystem can help provide a comprehensive account of children’s academic achievement.

Examining the literacy histories of doctoral students in an educational studies program through surveys and interviews: A mixed methods study

The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to explain the relationship between literacy experiences over time and the literacy identities of the doctoral students in a teacher education and higher education program. The quantitative phase, surveying 36 participants, revealed a positive correlation between participant’s present and past literacy experiences, suggesting that past literacy experiences impacted their present perception of themselves as successful doctoral students. In the qualitative follow up multiple case study analysis, four major themes emerged from the interviews and participants’ visual representations: (1) past literacy experiences; (2) present literacy experiences; (3) support systems; and (4) social experiences. The findings suggest that early feelings of success in literacy contribute to strong literacy identities in higher education programs. Implications for the faculty of higher education will be discussed.

Does Culture Cause Economic Development? A Reassessment of the Evidence from European Regions

This paper shows that Tabellini’s recent claim to have provided evidence that culture has a causal effect on economic development is unjustified. Tabellini’s claim is based on an instrumental variables analysis in which two instruments are used to identify the supposed causal effect. One of these – past literacy – is an invalid instrument. The other – past political institutions – is a weak instrument. The estimates obtained using this second instrument are so imprecise that they cannot be used to support any conclusions about the effect of culture on economic development.

Understanding Resistance: Preservice Teachers’ Discourse Models of Struggling Readers and School Literacy Tasks

Increased attention is being given to the attitudes exhibited by preservice teachers enrolled in secondary-level content area literacy courses, who frequently resist the idea of teaching reading to their future students. To develop a greater understanding of such perspectives, the author analyzed literacy narratives written by undergraduate students enrolled in five sections of secondary-level content area literacy courses. The findings suggest that preservice teachers' past literacy experiences must be addressed before they can acclimate to learning methods designed to support the needs of struggling readers in content area instruction.

A Proposed Sketch of a Distance Education Model for the Enrichment of Adult Literacy in Pakistan

Various efforts have been made to overcome the problem of illiteracy throughout the world, particularly in the developing countries. But, none of these had valuable results. Therefore, in most of the developing countries like Pakistan, governments are concerned about handling the literacy problem effectively. The present paper was conducted in view of the poor literacy condition in Pakistan.it focused upon the analysis of existing literacy situation in Pakistan as well as finding out workable suggestions for overcoming the literacy problem. The study revealed that there was no use of broadcast media or the motivational techniques to attract the illiterate people to the literacy centers. Above all there was no consistency in the literacy programmes due to political factors. The main objectives of the study included to analyze the past literacy programmes in Pakistan and to create a distance education literacy model for Pakistan. The modern way for imparting literacy should be used rather than following the conventional methods. For this purpose a distance education model for enhancing literacy is proposed to be used in Pakistan. This is a theoretical model workable in the low literacy areas with suitable physical provisions.

Collective Literacy Autobiographies: Exploring issues of authority, positioning and discourse

While a great deal of recent research and pedagogical interventions have focused on the development of critical reading practices of students, less attention has been given to developing critical writing practices. A move from a critical reading to a critical writing pedagogy would involve the application of the same general critical literacy principles, such as (1) repositioning students as researchers of language and (2) problematizing classroom texts [Comber (1994) Critical literacy: An introduction to Australian debates and perspectives, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 26, 655-668]. But while in critical reading classes these principles are applied to the language and texts of others, in a critical writing class they would have to be extended to the students' own language and texts. This paper describes the effects of interventions with students training to be teachers, which asked them to record their past literacy experiences in collective autobiographies, and to disrupt, i.e., critically analyse, them in order to instigate change in consciousness and in their future practice as literacy teachers. The author's focus is on a group around a particular student, Radha, and how the course helped them make sense of, and overcome their hesitancy to write from positions of authority. The author also describes how Radha learned to understand the difficulties she faced in her assignments when straddling conflicting subject positions.

Lessons from past literacy campaigns: A critical assessment

Lessons from past literacy campaigns: A critical assessment