Although philosophers have long claimed that reading fiction has the potential to improve imaginative capacities, empirical evidence on this topic is limited. We report an experiment that aims to conceptually replicate and extend previous work by Djikic and colleagues by testing whether reading literary fiction reduces the need for closure, and by…

Snyder's hope theory depicts hope, through the frame of positive psychology, as a cognitive construct with the perceived sense of goal-directed, pathways, and agency thinking (Snyder et al., 1991). Hope levels have been measured in various countries; however, no research to date focused on Haitians. This study, conducted in Petit-Goâve, Haiti,…

Numerous studies have analysed the relationships between the implementation of the railroad within a territory and the demographic, urban, or economic development in that territory. The aim of this study deviates somewhat to focus on the possible repercussions of the railroad line in terms of reducing illiteracy rates in Extremadura (Spain)…

Here I shall write about the late Bernard Stiegler (1952-2020) and contextualize this important philosopher's work with respect to the concrete, everyday pedagogical issue of language learning. To demonstrate Stiegler's applicability to education studies, I shall address the issue of character amnesia ([Chinese characters omitted], tibiwangzi in…

Phonological awareness (PA) is an important predictor and outcome of reading. Yet, little is known about the reciprocal relation between PA and reading across development without consistent reading experience (e.g., as a result of limited access to quality education and late enrolment in school). We tested the hypothesis that variable reading…

Obtaining informed consent can be challenging during peer research when the boundaries between researcher and participant are blurred. We developed a novel visual consent method with illiterate artists in Nepal who conducted peer interviews in their communities. Artists discussed and sketched images related to ethical principles to create a visual…

More than 93 million Americans read at or below the Basic level, leaving them unprepared for job training or workforce success. Existing workforce development programs typically screen out low level readers or fail to meet their needs. Dual pathway teaching combining basic literacy skill development with job-related content shows promise as an…

In the past two decades, the interdisciplinary push to denaturalise the concept of society has historicised the very object of social history. In this paper, I propose a way of studying the social history of education that eludes the presupposition of the social as a transcendental or pre-discursive object. My central claim is that it is possible…

Walter Ong points out that no one can write naturally, because writing is a completely artificial technique we need to acquire through education. The technology of literacy as writing letters begets a dividing line between "literates" and "illiterates," since literacy cannot be acquired otherwise. When we review the early…

Adult literacy and literacy education have long been a global agenda. China's literacy education has been developing amid the backdrop of international commitments and goals of adult literacy. Since the founding of new China in 1949, adult literacy policy in China has been continuously evolved within the changing political, economic and social…

Compulsory school-dropout is a serious problem affecting not only the education systems, but also the developmental progress of any country as a whole. Identifying the risk of dropping out, and characterizing its main determinants, could help the decision-makers to draw eradicating policies for this persisting problem and reducing its social and…

This article advances an explanation for the dynamics of agencies and institutions responsible for the formation of skills in nineteenth-century western India. It shows that multiple agencies - artisanal apprenticeship, indigenous schools, new "bazar" schools, modern vernacular and English schools, and institutes for technical,…

This article explores the quality of life of adults with poor literacy capabilities (reading, writing and numeracy) in western Rwanda. A concurrent mixed methods research design was used. Data was collected from respondents aged 18 years and over through a survey and focus group discussions. Quantitative results from linear regression analysis…

In 2008 the South African Government launched the "Kha Ri Gude" mass literacy campaign to address the country's adult illiteracy problem. The Campaign drew upon the Cuban "Yo, Si Puedo" campaign model. In 2012, an Australian non-governmental organisation, Literacy for Life Foundation, likewise informed by the Cuban "Yo, Si…

This exploratory qualitative study gathered data on adolescents' mental models of illiteracy before and after they read news articles on the topic and explored their epistemic beliefs about illiteracy and news articles as a knowledge source. Engaging with the news requires critical thinking and civic engagement, both central components of…