The DCU Centre for Literacy Research, Policy and Practice is a new centre located in the Institute of Education, Ireland’s largest Faculty of Education. It brings together a critical mass of researchers, doctoral students and educators with expertise in literacy and related disciplines across Early Childhood Education, Primary, Post-Primary, Further Education, Adult Education.
Mission
In line with Dublin City University’s mission to transform lives and society, the core mission of our Centre is to shape and inform literacy research, policy and practice nationally and internationally through ongoing scholarship, inquiry and pedagogy in reciprocal partnerships with key stakeholders.
Aims
The field of literacy is diverse and literacy teaching, learning and assessment are highly contested spaces. Our interdisciplinary Centre provides a forum for discussion around contemporary debates and continues to shape and inform policy directions through commissioned research. The Centre:
- embraces a broad vision of literacy that attends to the cognitive, affective, aesthetic and cultural dimensions and the transfer of literacy skills across languages
- cultivates a love of literature, reading and writing across genres, modes and languages
- embraces critical, digital and media literacies recognising the ever changing, complex and multi-dimensional nature of literacy and its role in supporting a critically informed and active citizenship in a digital age
- supports early childhood educators, teachers and those in leadership positions to bring research and practice into open dialogue in ways that inspire and support them to motivate and engage learners in literacy and to create research-informed responsive and inclusive literacy pedagogies in their respective contexts
- promotes equity in literacy outcomes and aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which seek to eradicate poverty (Goal 1), ensure a quality education (Goal 4) and reduce inequality (Goal 11).