Greetings from the JCRL Editorial team! In this final issue of 2023, we are excited to bring you four articles covering a range of timely topics.
The issue opens with “‘We’re Not All Chemists in Here – We’re Just Trying to Get to the Next Level:’ Examining Out-of-School Literacies, Identity, and Disciplinary Literacy,” by Minkyung Choi. This article addresses the challenges in disciplinary literacy development for students in science courses. Through a series of interviews, a qualitative study found that positive previous academic encounters contributed to disciplinary literacy development, while a strong science identity enhanced performance and resilience. The author urges literacy professionals to consider the interplay between prior experiences, background knowledge, and science identity in fostering disciplinary literacy for higher education science students.
In “On the Challenges of Decomposing Whiteness: Foundations for Antiracist Literacies,” Patrick Bruch, Jr., explores the intersection of composition studies and critical Whiteness studies, emphasizing the need to confront Whiteness in higher education. The author considers how challenging Whiteness can advance racially conscious research and offers examples of students grappling with Whiteness-based epistemologies, while underscoring the importance of dismantling White privilege and promoting equity. Writing classrooms are highlighted as spaces for students to critically examine and decompose Whiteness, encouraging them to take political responsibility for their language practices.
Next, in “The Unanticipated Virtual Year: How the Big 5 Personality Traits of Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness Impacted Engagement in Online Classes During the COVID-19 Crisis,” Élodie Audet, Shelby Levine, and Pascale Dubois use two-wave prospective longitudinal designs to examine the role of the Big 5 personality traits on student engagement in online classroom environments. The study was conducted during the Fall 2020 and winter 2021 semesters with two separate cohort groups of university students. The authors found that the source of student motivation and level of online engagement shifted as students experienced online learning over an extended period.
Finally, in “Critical Reading and Student Self-Selected Texts: Results of A Collaborative, Explicit Curricular Approach,” Jill Parrott and Trenia Napier consider whether students’ ability to critically assess and utilize sources can be improved by a competency-based curriculum designed to integrate information literacy, critical reading, and writing. The authors conducted a study of two groups of college students, one with infused instruction and curriculum support (intervention group), the other without (control group). At the conclusion of the study, it was determined that students with literacy interventions were more likely to be able to integrate source material.
This issue marks the last compiled by the current editorial team, comprising Sarah Felber, Deena Vaughn, and Mariko Carson. It has truly been a pleasure serving you over the last years. We look forward to continuing our engagement with CRLA members in other capacities within the organization. As always, thank you for your readership. We hope you enjoy the issue and find it useful for your scholarship and practice.