‘Family and intergenerational literacy and learning: International perspectives’ Call for chapter proposals

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) welcomes chapter proposals for an edited volume on Family and intergenerational literacy and learning: International perspectives.

Family and intergenerational literacy and learning (FILL) programmes are an effective means of developing and improving the literacy, numeracy, and other foundational skills of parents and children, promoting parents’ support for children’s education, and fostering ‘wider benefits’ such as self-esteem, civic participation and adults’ pursuit of further education. UNESCO promotes family and intergenerational literacy and learning in member states as a way to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: ‘to ensure inclusive and quality education and promote lifelong learning for all’ and other SDGs. 

Most of the literature on FILL focuses on models and programmes in higher-income or English-speaking countries. Consequently, FILL programmes, models, and policies in low/middle-income, non-anglophone countries are not well documented. The literature also lacks a complex understanding of informal family and intergenerational relations and learning, including literacy, as practised around the world. To address these needs, this volume will disseminate up-to-date scholarship on FILL theories, policies, research, and practice especially in low/middle-income and/or non-anglophone countries. This book will contribute to scholarly efforts to show how family literacy, as a concept and practice, is situated in and informed by distinctive historical, social, cultural and political contexts.

We welcome proposals for chapters that examine theories, policies, research, or practice of family and intergenerational literacy and learning in low/middle-income and/or non-anglophone countries. In addition to print literacy, chapters may explore numeracy, media and digital literacies, multimodal literacies, multilingual literacies, numeracy, translanguaging and other forms of learning in the context of FILL. 

Chapters may be empirical or theoretical/conceptual.

• Empirical chapters may include case studies of FILL programmes and initiatives; analyses of informal intergenerational learning, language, literacy, and numeracy practices in families and communities (outside of programmes and schools); or local, sub-national, or national policies related to FILL.
• Theoretical or conceptual chapters should discuss ideas, theories, concepts or frameworks that inform how we think about FILL in lower- and middle-income countries.  

All chapters should be critical and analytical rather than descriptive and should have international relevance. 

The 300-word chapter proposals are due 7 March 2022. For details about submission guidelines, download the call for chapter proposals. Deadline: 7 March 2022

Questions: Direct inquiries to the editors Esther Prins (Pennsylvania State University) and Rakhat Zholdoshalieva (UIL) at: uil-fill@unesco.org.