Researching in times of pandemic and social unrest: a flexible mindset for an enriched view on literacy

ABSTRACT

This study chronicles a research project on writing development that was affected by the current contexts of uncertainty. We were set to follow 24 students from diverse admissions channels for three years, during which we held meetings and collected writing materials. In October 2019, an unprecedented wave of civil unrest led to the closure of the campus and ended face-to-face meetings. In early 2020, just as the university was resuming contact with students, the COVID-19 pandemic again forced the suspension of in-person meetings. This article addresses methodological, ethical, and epistemological dilemmas involved in researching literacy in higher education under challenging circumstances. Moreover, understanding literacy as a social practice provided a theoretical framework useful to recognise emerging results as valuable information on literacy knowledge. The unexpected findings on student writing were shaped by the context of the crisis, in which agency, student engagement, and sponsorship became intrinsically linked to national events.

KEYWORDS:

• Literacy practices
• student engagement
• agency
• higher education

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by FONDECYT grant 11170723 (Chilean National Agency of Research and Development, ANID). We would like to thank our co-researchers Javiera Figueroa, Javiera Lagos and Solange Morales. We are also very grateful to all the student-writers who shared their experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Results on the longitudinal aspects or academic writing development are presented elsewhere (Ávila Reyes et al., 2021).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico [11170723].

Notes on contributors

Natalia Ávila Reyes

Natalia Ávila Reyes is an Assistant Professor of Education at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She holds a Master’s degree in Linguistics (PUC, Chile), a Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning, and a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Language, Literacy, and Composition (University of California, Santa Barbara). Her primary scholarly interest is writing at postsecondary levels and her most current research projects explore the experiences of university students with writing in expanding higher education systems.

Lina Calle-Arango

Lina Calle-Arango has a Bachelor's degree in Literary Studies, a Master's degree in Publishing, and a Master's degree in Education. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Education at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She specialises in academic writing and institutional support for the development of writing in higher education.

Estrella Léniz

Estrella Léniz holds a BA in Linguistics and Literature and is a PhD student in Education at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She has worked as a teacher of academic writing in different institutions of higher education and has carried out fieldwork in university writing research teams.