1) Call for Papers:
Special Issue on Reimagining Pedagogical Practices in Language Education
Guest Editors
Dr. Farah Akbar, University of Edinburgh
Dr. Soe Marlar Lwin, Singapore University of Social Sciences
The Scope
This special issue invites contributions that explore and interrogate how pedagogical practices in language education can be reimagined to respond to diverse educational realities, challenge dominant ways of thinking and prioritise classroom-based impact. We are particularly interested in work that bridges the gap between theory and practice, centres inclusive and practical approaches and draws on locally grounded knowledge systems and teaching traditions.
We welcome contributions from educators, researchers and practitioners whose work reflects context-responsive innovation and who bring forward perspectives that are often underrepresented in mainstream language education discourse.
This special issue aims to serve scholars, teacher educators, policymakers, and classroom practitioners who are committed to advancing socially just, innovative and context-responsive pedagogy. While artificial intelligence (AI) is not the main focus of this issue, we encourage authors to consider, where relevant, how digital technologies and AI are reshaping language teaching especially when these tools intersect with issues of ethics, access, power, and representation.
Topics this special issue may include (but are not limited to):
- Pedagogies with Impact – practitioner-led or co-developed approaches that bring about meaningful change in classrooms, particularly in settings where visibility, representation, or resources may be limited. Submissions may focus on curriculum adaptation, learner engagement, or inclusive teaching strategies with demonstrable classroom relevance.
- Connecting Theory to Practice – research that explores how theoretical ideas are interpreted, negotiated, or adapted in specific educational settings, including those influenced by digital technologies or platform-based learning. Submissions may explore how such theories are applied in context, across modalities or delivery formats, including hybrid and digitally mediated environments.
- Decolonising Language Education – studies that engage critically with curriculum, assessment, or materials to challenge dominant knowledge hierarchies and centre more plural, community-rooted ways of knowing and teaching. We welcome submissions that show how curriculum design can disrupt dominant language ideologies and strengthen critical and reflective language learning.
- Contextually Rooted Pedagogies – contributions that highlight language teaching practices grounded in learners’ sociocultural contexts especially those that challenge “one-size-fits-all” models. Submissions may include heritage language teaching, community literacy practices or pedagogy responsive to linguistic diversity.
- Interpedagogy – contributions that explore the design and implement of interdisciplinary or interprofessional teaching and learning for a more holistic and interconnected educational experience. Submission may focus on content and language integrated learning (CLIL), collaborative teaching and learning across disciplines, and pedagogical partnership between language teachers and professionals in other domains.
Format of submissions
- Empirical Research – articles based on qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods data
- Practice-Based Studies – research grounded in classroom or community-based teaching
- Critical Reflections – theoretically informed accounts that interrogate professional practice, positionality or policy
- Autoethnographic Accounts – first-person pieces that offer insight into language education through lived experience
Submission instructions
The full-text manuscripts addressing the special issue’s focus should be submitted through the Editorial Park manuscript submission system (https://www.editorialpark.com/ijopr/login), which can also be accessed through the website (https://www.ijopr.com/). Please see the Author Guidelines and Submission Preparation Checklist carefully before preparing your manuscript.
All submissions to this special issue will be handled in accordance with the JPR's Peer Review Process and Special Issue and Guest Editor Policy.
We would like to inform you that manuscripts can be submitted in free format using Microsoft Word. However, we kindly ask that you ensure your submission complies with the APA 7th edition citation and referencing guidelines.
The Guest Editors would welcome contributions up to 9000 words, references and appendices included. Longer manuscripts will need to be approved.
NOTE: When submitting your final manuscript, please select issue type as “special issue” and “Reimagining Pedagogical Practices in Language Education”.
Deadlines for authors
- Submission deadline: 20 February 2027
- Initial decision notification: 01 March 2027
- Revised manuscript due: 20 March 2027
- Final decision: 10 April 2027
- Publication of the special issue: May 2027
Note: Early submissions may be processed before the final submission deadline. Papers accepted and finalized earlier may be published online first prior to the publication of the complete special issue.
2) Call for Papers:
Special Issue on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Towards an Ethnomathematics Initiative for Social Justice
Guest Editors
Dr. Safura Meeran, University of South Africa, South Africa
Dr. Piera Biccard, University of South Africa, South Africa
Dr. Mncedisi Christian Maphalala, University of South Africa, South Africa
The Scope
The Journal of Pedagogical Research invites submissions for a special issue on Ethnomathematics through a culturally responsive pedagogy for social justice. With the ongoing debate on decolonisation, Ethnomathematics can provide a solution to mathematics education. Mathematical concepts with their abstraction can be challenging to the diverse, diasporic, and indigenous learners in the classroom. The subject would be less complex if they are exposed at home to the application of the content and realise personally that the principles, they learn at school can be used and come from their daily lives. It is one of the aims of the curriculum to make mathematics context-relevant, yet learners are hardly exposed to this way of learning, as teachers focus on the syllabus they must complete. Ethnomathematics is considered a Culturally responsive pedagogy that aligns with learners' backgrounds and cultures. Furthermore, a Culturally Responsive Pedagogy relates to a critical pedagogy as it serves a social justice perspective. Freire (1971) argued that critical pedagogy encourages critical thinking and democratic values. Teachers should create a critical pedagogy in their classrooms so learners can understand the forces shaping their lives and make decisions using a critical outlook (Freire, 1971). Through Ethnomathematics, learners can find value in their own cultures, which was previously ignored through the Colonised and Westernised way mathematics was taught in the classroom.
With regard to the background above, you are invited to contribute an article based on your research on Ethnomathematics. Some points that will assist you in keeping to the theme are as follows:
- Decolonising mathematics education, providing a timely response to current debates on the subject. Therefore, showing utilisation of ethnomathematics to make mathematics teaching more inclusive and relevant for diverse learners.
- Focusing on African Indigenous Knowledge, integrating cultural practices such as Morabaraba and Ndebele mural art to contextualise mathematical concepts within local traditions.
- Framing as a social justice-oriented pedagogy, considering mathematics education as a tool for social justice, guided by Freirean critical pedagogy aimed at empowering marginalised learners.
- Empirical case studies from classrooms, featuring real-world examples from rural and township schools in South Africa. These showcase the practical application of culturally responsive mathematics teaching.
- A foundation for an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, combining various educational and social theories, such as ethnomathematics, critical pedagogy, and situated learning, to create a comprehensive pedagogical framework.
- Addressing teacher training and professional development, focusing on teacher readiness, identifying gaps, and offering recommendations to assist educators in implementing ethnomathematical approaches.
- Promotes community engagement through participatory action research, involving community members, parents, teachers, and learners as co-researchers. This highlights how collective cultural knowledge can enrich mathematics education.
We invite submissions from researchers, educators, and practitioners that contribute to how ethnomathematical education can influence how mathematics is taught at schools and in higher education institutions. Research articles are welcome.
Submission Instructions
The full-text manuscripts addressing the special issue’s focus should be submitted through the Editorial Park manuscript submission system (https://www.editorialpark.com/ijopr/login), which can also be accessed through the website (https://www.ijopr.com/). Please see the Author Guidelines and Submission Preparation Checklist carefully before preparing your manuscript.
All submissions to this special issue will be handled in accordance with the JPR's Peer Review Process and Special Issue and Guest Editor Policy.
The Guest Editors would welcome contributions of up to 8000 words, references and appendices included. Longer manuscripts will need to be approved.
Important Notes
When submitting your manuscript, please select the issue type as “special issue” and “Ethnomathematics as a culturally responsive pedagogy”. You can also include a note in the field ‘Comments for the Editor’ indicating that the paper addresses this special issue.
All submissions to this special issue are subject to the Journal of Pedagogical Research’s standard editorial screening, double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers, and publication ethics requirements. The Editor-in-Chief retains overall responsibility for the special issue. All Guest Editors and special issue submissions are governed by the journal’s Special Issue and Guest Editor Policy. Submission or invitation to contribute does not guarantee acceptance or publication.
Deadlines for authors
- Submission deadline: 15 October 2026
- Initial decision notification: 01 November 2026
- Revised manuscript due: 01 December 2026
- Final decision: 20 December 2026
- Publication of the special issue: January 2027
Note: Early submissions may be processed before the final submission deadline. Papers accepted and finalized earlier may be published online first prior to the publication of the complete special issue.
Previous Special Issues
Sustainable Development Goals and Education: Rethinking Teaching Practices, Curriculum, and Institutional Roles
Artificial Intelligence in Education
Computational thinking and Mathematics teaching and learning
Why and how of integrated STEM education
COVID-19 & Education