Critical pedagogy emphasizes the inseparability of politics and education (Freire, 2012; hooks, 1994). However, many strands of critical pedagogy are focused on ideological critique of elements of Modernity such as racism, sexism, colonialism, extractivism, and domination which are treated as unintended errors or ancillary conditions. That is,…

"After the end of the world" is a speculative concept used to imagine what life could be after the world "ends" envisioning a new world that does not currently exist. Taking up Gumbs' metaphor, this essay explores what education could be "after the end of school," imaging a world beyond education as we know it to be.…

How has artificiality been imagined and circumscribed in works of fiction? For this paper, I answer the question by utilizing three of Miguel de Unamuno's early works to explore artificiality and authenticity. From "Amor y pedagogia" ("Love and Pedagogy" [LAP]) to "Del sentimiento trágico de la vida" ("The Tragic…

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…

This study used fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of supernatural fiction, featuring either fictional or realistic characters, compared to real-world stories. Participants' brain activations were recorded while they read supernatural/realistic scenarios. Results showed that…

Fiction books offer opportunities for readers to gain insight into fictional characters' perspectives, lives, and experiences, and in doing so, have the potential to support their empathy. This article provides novel insights from semi-structured interviews with 37 (27 female, 10 male, aged 12-14 years) regular readers of fiction from two high…

In her influential work "Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction," Waugh (1984) loosely categorizes literary metafiction on a sliding scale of four metafictional Acts. Through repeated readings of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (Carroll & Tenniel, 1866) and study of all of "Wonderland"…

The aim of this article is to introduce and provide an overview of fiction as a research method with examples from education. Although there are similarities with narrative research, particularly "narrative construction," fiction allows for more speculation and imagination. Two types of fiction are discussed: "informed fiction"…

Independent reading advances literacy, and people need time and access to self-selected reading material. Examining the mystery genre, this article asserts that there is significant value in popular literature and series books for building a reading life. The genre of mystery fiction, for example, can build reading interest and engagement.…

This paper considers educational futures from the perspective of social justice. It takes as its framework futures studies, which looks at what is probable (what is likely to happen), what is possible (what could happen), and what is preferable (what we would like to see/make happen). It also makes the case for science fiction as a method of…

This article describes how one department journeys from introduction to incorporation of climate fiction and an ecocritical lens in a program for grades 9-12. It explains the department's endeavors, ensuing projects, future intentions for individual and collective climate work, and ways educators can join in the movement.

This paper examines visions of AI-personalized learning through an analysis of Neal Stephenson's Science Fiction Novel 'The Diamond Age'. While contemporary discourse is often characterized by deterministic visions of AI-based personalization as a panacea to the homogenization and standardization of mass schooling, the novel presents a more…

This article constellates N.K Jemisin's "The Broken Earth" trilogy with decolonial epistemologies to push the boundaries of storied curricula and explore how we come to know. I argue that the imaginative world-building of science fiction can serve as worlding stories--not wording stories--that act, move, and connect knowledge,…

Preschoolers are offered few opportunities to become acquainted with non-fiction books, and when they are given the possibility to read non-fiction picturebooks, these are often fictionalised in one way or another. The fictionalisation of children's non-fiction blurs the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction picturebooks. This could mean that…

In this article, the author reflected on the challenges and opportunities that emerged as they introduced climate fiction, or cli-fi reading and writing into the curriculum, including the author's attempts to navigate the politics of the genre, activate the students' imagination and interest, and invite the students to become creators as well as…