NCTEAR 2022 Conference: Call for Proposals
Theme: Reimagining Literacy Research for Social Change
Dates: February 4-6, 2022
Location: Virtual

PROPOSAL DEADLINE EXTENDED: Proposals Now Due September 19th, 2021 at 11:59 PM

 
Alice Walker wrote, “Look closely at the present you are constructing. It should look like the future you are dreaming.”  As we collectively try to make sense of the present, we invite you to submit proposals that envision a future in which literacy research is an impetus for social change that centers equity. Specifically, we envision NCTEAR 2022 as a virtual space that could provide us with an opportunity to explore literacy and social change grounded in frameworks that foster criticality, divergent approaches to social justice, as well as humanizing methodologies and pedagogical practices. NCTEAR 2022 is an opportunity for our community to engage with policy makers and community advocates to reimagine how our research can inform changes to literacy curriculum, policy, funding, teaching and learning. So, what would it look like if we used this gathering to conceptualize new possibilities for literacy research that amplify civic literacies and world making as a catalyst for justice, equity, and social change? 
 
NCTEAR’s Virtual Conference invites those engaged in literacy research to submit proposals for interactive presentations and works-in-progress that feature cutting-edge multimodal methodologies, discourse analysis, participatory methodologies, visual and multimodal data, critical traditions (e.g., Critical Race, Queer and Trans, Indigenous, Dis/Ability, and Feminist Theories), and equity-oriented frameworks that reflect a commitment to disseminating humanizing research that generates civic engagement to improve literacy curriculum development, policy, teaching and learning.
 
As such, we invite papers addressing the following questions:
· What is the role of literacy research in a time of crisis? How can our work inform future pedagogical practices, curriculum development, and humanizing policies? 
· How can we deploy multimodal tools and methodologies to document and share civic participation as a pathway for social change in literacy education?
· What do we know about the nature and consequences of digital civic engagement by young people as a conduit for social change?
· What methodologies do we use to document the affordances and barriers of engaging students, families, and communities in worldmaking to cultivate civic literacies for social change? 
· How can literacy teacher education explicitly address the intersection of historical, economic, social, political, and cultural influences on K-12 education?
· What does literacy research teach us about the role of advocacy and civic participation for social change? How can these lessons offer a way forward in a time of crisis?
· What do we know about the nature and consequences of digital civic engagement by young people as a conduit for social change? 
 
Presenters are encouraged to explore answers to these questions and others from multiple contexts of pre-K-16 English language arts education and literacy research, including after school and community settings, students whose first language is other than English, etc. Please consider submitting a proposal for NCTEAR 2022, attending the virtual conference on February 4-6, 2022, and contributing to these conversations.
 
The planning committee encourages proposals for works-in-progress that focus on questions and tensions about literacy research and social change. Proposal formats include individual papers, symposia, and roundtables, all of which are encouraged to be interactive and generative so that they center community building and leverage the affordances of presenting in a digital format.  A description of each type of session/proposal can be found below. We welcome proposals representing a broad range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. We invite proposals that focus on empirical research as well as conceptual/theoretical work.
 
Proposals are due by September 19, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST. To submit your proposals, please go to Easy Chair. 
Direct URL: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=nctear2022). 
 
To submit via the Easy Chair system, you will need to do the following:
 
1. Create an account.
2. Log in.
3. Once logged in, you’ll be able to see the NCTEAR 2022 page. Click the “enter as an author” link to submit your proposal.
 
Individual Papers
 
We invite individual paper proposals that explore compelling questions, tensions, and uncertainties - both within individual projects and the field as a whole - that focus on literacy research and social change. While conferences can often be a context of sharing projects in a linear, tidy manner, we encourage presenters to consider the messy, untidy, and complex in their proposal, and to do so in ways that are interactive and generative. 
 
Proposals for individual papers can report empirical or conceptual work. Proposals should include: 

• Title
• 100-150 word abstract
• Empirical research:  question(s) or purpose(s); methodology; theoretical framework; findings; and a brief discussion of the central questions, tensions, and/or uncertainties explored in the presentation. 

Conceptual work:  may also include more traditional elements such as a  clear description of the theoretical / conceptual argument being made and the basis / warrants for the argument, and the contribution of the theoretical / conceptual argument to the field. 
 
Proposals should be clearly written and not more than 800 words in length (not including references). The review of proposals for the presentation of individual papers is a “masked” review and therefore no identifying information should be included in the proposal itself. You will include author and contact information via the Easy Chair system during the submission upload process.
 
Symposia
 
A symposium consists of a series of 3 presentations plus a chair (and discussant if desired). The presentations must be clearly related (e.g., address a topic from different perspectives, report different aspects of a larger study, etc.) and focus on generative discussion that can advance action in literacy research for social change. In particular, we encourage symposia proposals that explore compelling questions, tensions, and uncertainties in ways that are interactive and foster dialogue among presenters and attendees.
 
Proposals for a symposium should include: 

• Title
• 100-150 word abstract
• Description of the symposium that includes the title and description of the individual papers. The descriptions for each paper should address question(s) or purpose(s); methodology; theoretical framework; findings; and a brief discussion of the central questions, tensions, and/or uncertainties explored in the presentation. 

 
Proposals should be clearly written and not more than 800 words in length (not including references). The review of proposals for the presentation of individual papers is a “masked” review and therefore no identifying information should be included in the proposal itself. You will include author and contact information via the Easy Chair system during the submission upload process.
 
Roundtables
 
Works-in-progress roundtable sessions provide opportunities for presenters to share empirical works-in-progress (including qualitative, quantitative, narrative inquiry, ethnographic, practitioner research, etc.) with a small group of colleagues and to engage in extended discussion of their research. 
Proposals for a work-in-progress roundtable should include: 

• Title
• 100-150 word abstract
• Description of the roundtable that includes research question(s)/purposes, theoretical framework, methodology, and a description of the corpus of data to be shared at the roundtable. 
• Proposals should be clearly written and not more than 800 words in length (not including references). The review of proposals for the presentation of individual papers is a “masked” review and therefore no identifying information should be included in the proposal itself. You will include author and contact information via the Easy Chair system during the submission upload process.