Access to Friedrich Fröbel's essential writings continues to be a challenge for non-German-speaking scholarship. Many essential writings have never been translated, and existing translations are outdated. This article discusses the challenges of translating Fröbel by translating and analyzing one of the essential letters during the establishment…

Professional references are widely used in hiring decisions, yet their effectiveness remains largely understudied. We analyze structured ratings collected from the professional references of teacher applicants and conduct an experiment to see whether the ratings influence hiring managers' assessments of applicants and hiring decisions. We find…

This article discusses the notion of a 'morally equipped' childhood and adolescence, and how such a notion can help us get a fresh perspective on the relation between young people's participation and empowerment, and the formation of personal and the collective moral repertoires of modern society. Utilising a mixed-methods approach inspired by the…

We tested a novel extension to mailed invitations to a web-push survey, using a postcard invitation to deliver a scratch-off giftcode incentive similar to an instant-win lottery ticket. Scratch-off postcards were included as one of five conditions in randomized survey experiment varying two mailing types (letter and postcard) and three incentive…

Aim: This Quality Improvement Project sought to improve communication between patients with intellectual disabilities and their psychiatrists by sharing medical information using an easy read letter format following psychiatric review. Background: Writing directly to patients is in keeping with good medical practice. Previous studies have shown…

Purpose: This paper delves into the profound influence of societal beauty standards and the prevalence of body shaming in contemporary culture. It explores how these societal norms contribute to self-esteem issues and psychological distress among individuals, particularly young people. Design/methodology/approach: Through the poignant medium of…

In a pilot program during the 2016-17 admissions cycle, the University of California, Berkeley invited many applicants for freshman admission to submit letters of recommendation. This proved controversial within the university, with concerns that this change would further disadvantage applicants from disadvantaged groups. To inform this debate, we…

The National Literacy Trust's 2018 report on letter writing highlighted the enduring appeal of writing letters to connect people. Many children and young people also said that they write letters to make the person they are writing to happy. This has never been truer now. This report of responses to a survey from early 2021 shows that children and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a renewed interest in intergenerational letter and email writing. Evidence shows that expressive writing, including letter writing, has a number of benefits including improved literacy and perceived well-being, and it can also facilitate a deep connection with another person. This scoping review provides an…

The letter of recommendation (LOR) is a stylized form of direct sponsorship, a rhetorical appeal that confers favor on a person or object in keeping with the writer's - or sponsor's - character, authority, and expertise. In response to Swales's call to "unveil" the rhetorical features of occluded genres, this research employs a move-step…

Purpose: There is currently a dearth of research on the implications of the epistolary as a site for knowledge production. This paper aims to demystify the process of academic theorizing through the co-authors' co-excavative epistolary method. Design/methodology/approach: Through co-excavative epistolary practices, the co-authors' relationship was…

Uncertain language can be used to express genuine uncertainty but can also be used to manage face (e.g., by softening bad news). These conflicting motivations can create ambiguity in health communication. In this preregistered two-part experiment, participants assumed the position of a health specialist and wrote a letter communicating either a…

To understand the causes and consequences of polarized demand for government expenditure, we conduct three field experiments in the context of public higher education. The first two experiments study polarization in taxpayer demand. We provide information to shape beliefs about social returns on investment. Our treatments narrow the political…

School literacy in North America continues to focus on society's dominant languages. Literacy curriculum -- particularly during early grades -- has an urgency for children to quickly master emergent literacy skills in the official languages, vindicating the exclusion of literacy in other minoritized languages that multilingual children bring to…

This study investigates teacher participation in a national online youth civic letter writing project through the lens of teacher civic commitments. Drawing on in-depth interviews and survey data from teachers who participated in the Letters to the Next President 2.0 project, civic commitments are articulated through civic beliefs, learning goals,…