The ReaLiTea Research Literacy Framework

As those of you who have been following the ReaLiTea project know, over the last months we have been busy developing a framework of key competences that are related to the research literacy of (second, foreign and additional) language teachers.

We are happy to say that this framework is now close to completion, and that we are now ready to share a draft version. Making a document public before it is finalised is not an easy decision, but then again, no document is ever truly finished. More importantly, we hope that sharing the framework at this stage will give us the opportunity to revise and enrich it in light of any feedback we might receive while we are still working on the project.

Overview of the framework

The framework consists of three broad parts. In the first part, teachers are invited to explore sociocultural beliefs, institutional policies, small-group effects and their own beliefs and attitudes, as they relate to research literacy. We expect that by reflecting on such issues, participants can develop an understanding of the affordances and constraints in their context, what is possible and what might not be done in their setting.

The largest part of the framework, which follows, consists of a list of competences relating to various aspects of research literacy, such as background knowledge (or fundamental beliefs about reserach literacy), the ability to engage with research that has been published in articles, blogs, videos etc., the ability to theorise about teaching practice, the ability to engage in research and the ablity to share empirical insights. This set of competences, which are supplemented by descriptors (not much unlike, e.g., the CEFR), might be useful to teachers and teacher educators who want to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in their research literacy.

The framework concludes with a personal development plan, which can help teachers clarify, prioritise and document their research literacy development efforts. Users of the framework can use this plan to indicate their next professional development priorities, and also record any evidence that shows how their goals are being attained.

Download the framework.

If you'd like to download the Research Literacy Framework, this is available by clicking on the following button.

Go to the Download Page

Sharing your feedback

We hope that you find the framework helpful and easy to use. However, we are also aware that this is still an ongoing work, and that additional insights from you can only improve it. With this in mind, we would like to invite you to share your thoughts and ideas with us. You can use the contact form to get in touch with us. We are looking forward to reading what you all think!