{"title":"What we Know About Language and Literacy Instruction for Newcomers: A Review of the Literature","authors":"Linda Andreev","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70024","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Research on newcomers' language and literacy (L&L) skills has expanded recently in response to the growth of this population. To inform teachers and researchers, this paper reviewed 41 empirical studies (2010–2022) on high-school newcomers' L&L. Most studies used qualitative methods, working with few participants for short time periods. Four themes emerged. First, studies highlighted affordances of leveraging students' home languages but also identified cases when home language use hindered students' learning. Second, researchers described language scaffolding practices that promoted content-area learning. Third, studies examined the potential of L&L to connect to newcomers' identities and develop a sense of belonging in the classroom, though some studies documented cases of marginalization and isolation. Fourth, researchers found peers offered language support, but successful peer interactions hinged on certain conditions. Altogether, this review offers preliminary implications for practice and calls for research that investigates with increased nuance the potential of specific L&L practices.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144935096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conceptualizing and Operationalizing Prompt Literacy for English Language Learners","authors":"Ekaterina Tour, Artem Zadorozhnyy","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70020","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recent developments in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies have had significant implications for English language education worldwide, opening up new opportunities and challenges. Both researchers and practitioners are increasingly exploring the necessary capabilities that English language learners should possess in relation to GenAI. Prompt literacy, or a combination of multiple capabilities required to engage in dynamic and iterative interaction with GenAI, is often seen as essential because the quality of prompts directly impacts the relevance, accuracy, and creativity of the AI-generated output. However, little is known about how teachers can scaffold prompt literacy in English language learning contexts where learners have specific needs. This discussion article addresses this gap by exploring how the Four Resources Model of literacy can be used for teaching prompt literacy in language learning contexts, alongside some practical examples that can be used to guide teaching practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jaal.70020","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144923452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Relationship Between Situated Reading Motivation and Perception of the Learning Environment for Adolescent Students","authors":"Travis VanderVelden, Xornam Apedoe","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70023","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70023","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Reading motivation has been a focus of research to address the lack of reading proficiency in secondary classrooms, and an understudied area within this broad field of research is the effects of the learning environment on student reading motivation. The current study investigates the effect of 9th–12th grade students' perceptions of the learning environment on their daily, self-reported reading motivation in four different content areas: English (<i>N</i> = 53), social science (<i>N</i> = 50), math (<i>N</i> = 55), and science (<i>N</i> = 52). Using a regression analysis, we examined the impact of four aspects of the learning environment on student reading motivation. In all four content areas, only one learning environment variable significantly predicted reading motivation: <i>investigation</i> (the emphasis of inquiry skills and their use in problem-solving). This finding suggests that regardless of content area, incorporating investigation is one way to foster students' engagement and motivation to read.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144910220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Opening the ‘Can of Worms’: A Comparative Case Study of Two ELA Teachers' Formation of AI Literacy Instruction","authors":"Christopher Mah, Ibrahim Adisa, Hillary Walker","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70021","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70021","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Educators hold diverse beliefs and attitudes about generative artificial intelligence (AI). Irrespective of their stance, many acknowledge AI's growing influence and the pressing need for greater AI literacy. In this case study, we draw on Davis's (1989) technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine how two English teachers, Fiona and Margot, arrived at different enactments of AI literacy. Using qualitative methods, we found that Fiona was primarily concerned with cheating, held negative attitudes toward AI, and taught a standalone lesson on preventing cheating. Margot identified a range of AI risks and possibilities, held conflicted attitudes, and developed a unit on the societal impacts of AI. Our findings suggest that educators and professional learning designers should take concerns about cheating seriously, but also adopt a broader, dialectical orientation that prepares students to understand, critically evaluate, and use AI. As AI reshapes education, these skills are crucial to students' success and well-being.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144897520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Inside the Houses of Literacy: A Review of Literacy's Democratic Roots","authors":"L. Newell Bridget","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70022","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Thomas Newkirk's <i>Literacy's Democratic Roots: A Personal Tour through 8 Big Ideas</i> (2023) is a timely and thought-provoking contribution to the field of literacy education. Through a blend of personal narrative and scholarly reflection, Newkirk offers eight conceptual “roots” that connect historical and contemporary approaches to literacy instruction. These roots trace back to progressive education, pragmatist philosophy, and student-centered pedagogy, while firmly engaging with modern concerns like standardization, testing, multilingualism, and the role of storytelling in public discourse. Newkirk's work encourages educators to reimagine literacy as a civic and humanizing force, rather than merely a technical skill, making the book essential reading for teachers, scholars, and policy advocates committed to nurturing democracy through education.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144853773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"High School Students' Experiences With Scaffolding in Project-Based Learning","authors":"Alison G. Boardman, Allarie Coleman","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70018","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Centering student perspectives, this mixed methods study examines a project-based learning (PBL) unit enacted across five inclusive 9th grade English language arts (ELA) classes in one urban high school. We share how this unit offered students opportunities to experience new types of challenging but rewarding assignments in multimodal accessible formats that fostered relevant and meaningful engagement with ELA content. Using a Universal Design for Learning framing to create the PBL unit, we proactively discussed and reduced potential barriers. Our results confirm the need to redesign traditional curricula to be more inquiry-based and student-centered to address the intersectional needs of students. Implications for practice include using a small number of scaffolded materials that connect activities and can be adjusted throughout the unit, attending to interactional scaffolds such as peer collaboration, and addressing students' diverse abilities and language backgrounds.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144751638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eric Claravall, Eric Junco, Jung Kim, Jill Castek, Michael Manderino
{"title":"Embracing Expansive Literacies: Our Collective Editorial Vision","authors":"Eric Claravall, Eric Junco, Jung Kim, Jill Castek, Michael Manderino","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70019","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As the incoming editors of the <i>Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy</i>, we are excited to build on the legacy of this longstanding and high-impact journal. We thank the previous editorial team, Judith Franzek, Koomi Kim, Heather Porter, and Matt Sroka, for their editorial work over the past 5 years which has expanded the scope and reach of <i>JAAL</i>. We are also indebted to previous editorial teams since the shift from the <i>Journal of Reading</i> to <i>JAAL</i> in 1995, including Kathy Hinchman and Kelly Chandler-Olcott and Margaret Hagood and Emily Skinner, who have shaped many readers' trajectories in the field of adolescent and adult literacy. Additionally, we appreciate and honor the educators who have published their work in JAAL and scholars who have served as reviewers to help bring manuscripts to publication.</p><p>As we receive the torch as JAAL co-editors, we aim to uplift the spirit of collective literacy scholarship from our own diverse lived experiences, academic pathways, and ways of interpreting and acting on the world. As an editorial team, our collective pursuits address literacy for equity and justice. In this inaugural issue, we share our vision, our shared commitments, and our invitations to the readers and contributors of <i>JAAL</i>.</p><p>We adopt a pluralistic view and holistic understanding of literacies that is grounded in a strong, justice-focused orientation. Our vision addresses explicit goals aligned with critical literacy, such as disrupting oppressive systems and leveling power structures in literacies teaching, research, learning, and leadership.</p><p>We believe that <i>JAAL</i> should continue to encourage discussions about the evolving multidimensional nature of literacies. Beyond traditional reading and writing skills, the advancement of pluralistic literacies should highlight the role of criticality in digital and non-digital literacies. The world is moving at a fast pace, and we recognize the potential of multimodal meaning-making informed by AI and other innovations. Likewise, we steadfastly promote culturally sustaining pedagogies and linguistically responsive teaching. We believe that these approaches amplify the work of scholars of color and emerging researchers and practitioners, fostering generative knowledge and practices in adolescent and adult literacies. We value multiple theoretical lenses while encouraging reflexivity on literacy practices, processes, and perspectives. We recognize multiple learning contexts and inter-relationships with particular attention to the overlooked contributions and ingenuity of educators and communities historically excluded and marginalized across local and global spaces.</p><p>We are committed to advancing research and practice at the intersections of literacy, equity, and social justice—embracing literacies as inclusive, expansive, empowering, and grounded in praxis. In alignment with the needs of educators and researchers, we envision JAAL as a space","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jaal.70019","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144751702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shea N. Kerkhoff, Diana M. Hammond, Astri Napitupulu, Nancy R. Singer, Jasmin Easterling, Julie Sheerman, Katie Kline, Amy Lannin, Katherine O'Daniels
{"title":"Dialogic Argument Writing and Disciplinary Literacy in 4th–12th Grade Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts","authors":"Shea N. Kerkhoff, Diana M. Hammond, Astri Napitupulu, Nancy R. Singer, Jasmin Easterling, Julie Sheerman, Katie Kline, Amy Lannin, Katherine O'Daniels","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70017","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70017","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Teachers across disciplines seek to support students' abilities to clearly communicate in writing, and to critically engage ideas and texts in argumentation, including argument writing and related classroom discussions. This qualitative study presents findings of source-based argument writing in science, social studies, and English language arts grounded in dialogic argumentation. We explored how 4th–12th grade teachers approached dialogic argument writing within their discipline. The results reflect teachers' growing understanding of argument as dialogic in nature and shaped by discipline. Data suggest teachers were able to take up a dialogic approach across disciplines and found doing so beneficial to student engagement and writing outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jaal.70017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144751703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael B. Sherry, Glenn G. Smith, Kimberly DeFusco
{"title":"Dialogue by Design: How Alternative Online Discussion Forums Could Support Collaborative Disagreement","authors":"Michael B. Sherry, Glenn G. Smith, Kimberly DeFusco","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70015","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Authentic dialogue, in which citizens engage with different perspectives using evidence, is integral to participation in a democratic, literate society. Yet participants in classroom conversations and in public forums often talk past each other rather than taking up what others have written or said. How might the design of alternative online discussion forums enhance dialogue among secondary students? Prior research has suggested that practice with oral debate can promote dialogic uptake of different points of view. Yet few studies have examined whether and how online discussions might offer similar benefits. Moreover, opportunities remain to study how the design of different types of online forums might enable or inhibit students' uptake of others' words and ideas. Based on data generated in a Southern US secondary school during a unit on media literacy, we reveal how two alternative forum designs (including one created by Smith) influenced student dialogue about environmental issues. We discuss implications and challenges for fostering online discussions that support student dialogue and collaborative disagreement.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144751701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. E. Talian, Amy Stornaiuolo, Yu-An (Andrew) Chen, Opal Jawale, Sunny Ajitabh, Andrew Yao, Keerthanya (Keerthi) Rajesh, Gabriella (Ella) Lucarelli, Ryujin Creighton
{"title":"Youth–Adult Partnerships in Digital Spaces: Redesigning an Online Writing Community Together","authors":"M. E. Talian, Amy Stornaiuolo, Yu-An (Andrew) Chen, Opal Jawale, Sunny Ajitabh, Andrew Yao, Keerthanya (Keerthi) Rajesh, Gabriella (Ella) Lucarelli, Ryujin Creighton","doi":"10.1002/jaal.70016","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jaal.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper explores how an intergenerational research team (<i>n</i> = 21) used a three-phase participatory design approach and youth–adult partnerships to establish a youth-led digital writing community on Discord. Findings analyze three “moments of emergence”: (1) a moment in which we navigated tensions between our intergenerational writerly affinities and the persistence of youth–adult hierarchies; (2) a moment in which youth expertise became visible; (3) a moment in which we restructured our roles by changing our governance systems. We argue that noticing “moments of emergence”—dynamic moments in which tensions and possibilities become part of the broader discourse of a group—can be used as catalysts for redesigning spaces, activities, and relationships, as well as for disrupting adult–youth power imbalances in online spaces. Such work is particularly urgent given the turn toward digital platforms for connecting educators, researchers, and youth, requiring adults to think carefully about how not to inscribe, replicate, or exacerbate existing inequities.</p>","PeriodicalId":47621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy","volume":"69 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jaal.70016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144751700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}