The discussion of literacy education, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding of the role of critical literacy

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the recommendations and future work and stated research gap and future-work section and stated challenges of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 1981 and 2026, spanning 6 journals. Those papers have been cited 32 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 8 representative gaps

• Interplay of media literacy exposure, visual bias recognition, cognitive flexibility, and critical viewing skills of pre-service teachers (2026) · International Journal of Education, Learning, and Pedagogical Sciences (INJELPS) · doi

  Based on the study's findings, the following recommendations are put forward. 1. Pre-service teachers may engage in structured media analysis activities, including bias detection tasks and reflective discussions, to strengthen critical viewing competencies. 2. Teacher educators may integrate explicit instructional strategies such as guided media critique, case-based analysis, and metacognitive reflection to enhance analytical thinking. 3. Curriculum developers may embed critical viewing skills and media analysis competencies into teacher education curricula and learning standards. 4. School leaders may support professional development programs focusing on media literacy instruction and critical thinking strategies in digital learning environments. 5. Education policymakers may consider strengthening policies on media and information literacy integration to ensure systematic development of critical viewing skills across educational levels. REFERENCES Aljalabneh, A. A. (2024). Visual media literacy: Educational strategies to combat image and video disinformation on social media. Frontiers in Communication, 9, 1490798. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1490798 430 International Journal of Education, Learning, and Pedagogical Sciences (INJELPS) Ariza, M., Quesada, A., & Abril, A. M. (2021). Socio-scientific issues and graph interpretation in teacher education: Developing critical thinking through climate change education. International Journal of Science Education, 43(9), 1425–1444. https://doi.org/10.1080/02103702.2021.1926164 Baja, J. P. P., & Borja, R. E. (2025). Countering misinformation and disinformation in Philippine education: A systematic review of strategies, challenges, and the role of media and information literacy. International Journal of

  generalrecommendations
  Keywords: media education critical strategies literacy viewing teacher thinking learning international journal based competencies skills development
• 4Cs Model in Initial Teacher Education: Fostering and Developing 4Cs Competencies in Higher Education Teaching (2026) · Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies · doi

  59–78. Život of https://doi.org/10.32903/zs.70.2.4 pedagogues]. LXX(2), škola, i Chiruguru, S. (2020). The essential skills of 21st century classroom (4Cs). Project: The role of 4Cs (critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration and communication) in the 21st century classroom. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.36190.59201 Chi, D. N. (2022). Vietnamese EFL students’ critical thinking in an English literature 77–94. Studies, 9(1),

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: thinking https century classroom critical ivot pedagogues kola chiruguru essential skills project role creative collaboration
• Towards teaching anew: Teaching critical literacy with intermediate phase pre-service teachers (2026) · Journal of Education and Learning Technology · doi

  To further strengthen the integration of critical literacy in classrooms, this paper offers the following recommendations: Teacher education institutions should institutionally capacitate pre-service teachers to teach critical literacy from the lower grades. Lecturers in teaching methodology should demonstrate 60 Rida Afrilyasanti, Yazid Basthomi, and Evynurul Laily Zen, “Fostering Creativity and Critical Literacy: Transforming EFL Classes with Engaging Critical Media Literacy Integration,” Asian Education and Development Studies 14, no. 2 (March 25, 2025): 133–51, https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-06-2024-0124. 61 Maren Aukerman, “‘Why Do You Say Yes to Pedro, but No to Me?’ Toward a Critical Literacy of Dialogic Engagement,” Theory Into Practice 51, no. 1 (January 6, 2012): 42–48, https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2012.636335. 62 Aishorya Bharati and P. M. Nisanth, “Critical Pedagogy in the 21st Century: Challenges and Possibilities,” International Journal of Scientific Research in Modern Science and Technology 3, no. 4 (April 30, 2024): 20–27, https://doi.org/10.59828/ijsrmst.v3i4.203. 63 Henry Giroux, “Critical Pedagogy,” in Handbuch Bildungs- Und Erziehungssoziologie (Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 2021), 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-31395-1_19-1. 64 Jennifer VanDerHeide and Ashley Johnson, “Examining Preservice Teachers’ Narratives of Teaching Dialogically,” Teaching and Teacher Education 87 (2020): 102946. 65 Jia Wei Lim, “What Might Readers Want? Unexpected Responses from Malaysian Literature in English Students and Suggestions of Potentiality in Text Selection,” Literacy 54, no. 3 (September 10, 2020): 91–98, https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12206. 66 Mezirow, "Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice." Journal of Education and Learning Technology (JELT) 163 Mbuyazi, S. T., Kruger, J. & Sheokarah, J./ Journal of Education and Learning Technology / Vol.7 No.2 Special Issue (2026) pp 151 - 168 the use of scaffolded prompts, and pre-service teachers should be supported in the use of multimodal resources and the creation of such resources. Moreover, the Department of Basic Education should have stringent or clear plans on monitoring the mentorship programme in schools to ensure that pre- service teachers benefit from this experiential learning. Additionally, policy makers should explicitly define and integrate critical literacy in the IP English CAPS documents, for both English HL and FAL. Future studies should investigate how in-service teachers understand and implement critical literacy, as well as how learners in the IP perceive and respond to it. CONCLUSION This paper, which emanates

  generalrecommendations
  Keywords: critical literacy education teachers https service learning teaching journal technology english integration teacher theory practice
• THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL BASIS FOR ENHANCING CRITICAL THINKING AMONG PRE-SERVICE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS IN DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS (2026) · YANGI DAVR ILM-FANI: INSON UCHUN INNOVATSION G‘OYA VA YECHIMLAR · doi

  The study identifies a gap in the existing literature on critical thinking in digital educational settings. The study highlights the need for a comprehensive theoretical model for conceptualising critical thinking in teacher education. The study notes that the theoretical and methodological foundations of critical thinking remain insufficiently integrated within the fields of digital pedagogy and foreign language teacher education.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: study identifies gap existing literature critical thinking digital
• Concepções de leitura e escrita: da decodificação ao letramento; multiletramentos e letramento crítico (dialogia, autoria, gêneros) (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  The paper identifies a gap in the discussion of literacy education, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding of the role of critical literacy and multiliteracies in promoting autonomous and conscious subjects. The study suggests that existing approaches to literacy education may be limited by their focus on decoding and technical skills, rather than critical consciousness and dialogue.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: paper identifies gap discussion literacy education highlighting need
• Concepções de leitura e escrita: da decodificação ao letramento; multiletramentos e letramento crítico (dialogia, autoria, gêneros) (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  The paper suggests that future research should prioritize the study of critical literacy and multiliteracies in literacy education. The study highlights the need for further research on the role of dialogue and multiliteracies in promoting autonomous and conscious subjects. The paper argues that future research should focus on the development of critical consciousness and the ability to read the world in a questioning and transformative way.

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: paper suggests future research prioritize study critical literacy
• Pedagogy, Pessimism, and the Politics of Conformity: A Reply to Linda McNeil (1981) · Curriculum Inquiry · cited 16× · doi

  The paper suggests that future research should focus on the development of more nuanced and hopeful theories of critical pedagogy. The author argues that research should prioritize the study of teacher agency and the potential for teachers to develop critical insights and engage in oppositional practices. The paper suggests that future research should explore the implications of critical pedagogy for social change and the promotion of more equitable and just societies.

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: paper suggests future research focus development nuanced hopeful
• Pedagogy, Pessimism, and the Politics of Conformity: A Reply to Linda McNeil (1981) · Curriculum Inquiry · cited 16× · doi

  The paper identifies the challenge of developing a more nuanced and hopeful theory of critical pedagogy that can account for the complexities and nuances of teacher experience. The author argues that critical pedagogy faces the challenge of promoting more equitable and just societies in the face of dominant ideologies and power structures. The paper suggests that critical pedagogy must navigate the challenge of balancing the need for critical thinking and oppositional practices with the need for practical and effective strategies for social change.

  generalstated challengesevidence 5/5
  Keywords: paper identifies challenge developing nuanced hopeful theory critical

Questions about this gap