Call for Proposals – EATAW 2027
Conference topic: “The Sentimental Value of Writing”
Who am I as an author? Whose knowledge counts? Whose writing is valued? Why writING matters?
EATAW Conference 2027 · July 1–3, 2027 (with a pre-conference event on June 30, 2027) · Skopje, North Macedonia
In life, even when we possess a degree of self-awareness, we rarely grasp in the moment what drives us to act as we do. That understanding tends to arrive gradually, usually after a harsh fact, if at all, and sometimes only through sustained, deliberate reflection. This complex relationship between experience, emotion, and self-understanding of our own and other people's practices also shapes the ways in which we create meaning through writing.
The Sentimental Value of Writing addresses the naturalistic lens on this human behavior, yet it is shaped with such refined artistry that its emotional truth feels unmistakably real. Even as it engages with strong or confusing emotions, it resists excess, allowing restraint and subtlety to deepen its impact rather than diminish it.
As writing practices in education continue to evolve, traditional understandings of literacy are being reconsidered, requiring educators, students, researchers, writing developers, writing centers to adapt to new realities. However, these changes do not diminish the human dimension of writing; rather, they invite us to reconsider what makes writing meaningful and valuable in educational contexts.
Emotions play an important role in academic writing (Cameron, Nairn and Higgins, 2009; Forster, 2020), and, as learning developers, we often support students with the emotional aspects of their work. The concept of learning identities (Bloomer and Hodkinson, 2000; Christie et al., 2007) helps us to understand students' emotional responses in their broader personal, social, and educational journeys.
With all of the above in mind, we invite participants to use the EATAW 2027 conference as a forum for developing, challenging, and refining ideas that can guide our response to the profound changes reshaping writing today. We seek conversations that position literacy, culture, and human agency at the center of debates about writing. While technological innovation has largely been interpreted through the lens of computer science, the time has come for disciplines such as rhetoric and composition, writing studies, writing science, second language learning, and applied linguistics to contribute their own perspectives. Together, we can help shape a more balanced understanding of academic writing in a much broader intellectual, social, and cultural landscape.
We expect conceptually and methodologically well-founded contributions that will lead to a better understanding of whose writing is valued and how writing is valued. The topic has strong resonance with authorship, identity, alignment, emotions, and GenAI.
Strands
The strands are but not limited to:
- Strand 1Theoretical Underpinnings
- Strand 2Pedagogical Inquiry
- Strand 3Challenging Existing Theories and Practices
- Strand 4Empirical Research
Exploring writing in elementary, secondary and higher education in various L1 and L2 (foreign languages) will be encouraged (especially writing in the languages spoken in the Balkans).
Examples of potential contributions
The topic includes subtopics such as: learning (about) writing, assessment, feedback, text production, collaborative writing, use of GenAI tools, supervision, professional writing, writing for specific purposes, writing for Special Educational Needs (SEN) students (but are not limited to these).
Conference Proposal Writing Guidelines
Length: 300 words (including references)
The proposal should reflect the purpose and the content of the presentation. A proposal of high quality includes the following compulsory elements:
- a clear statement of the overall aim of the research/practice/presentation;
- a reference to a theoretical/conceptual framework and awareness of previous research;
- a concise description of the research methodology employed;
- a summary of key findings (or expected findings, if the project is still in progress);
- a brief discussion of the implications or the relevance of the work presented;
- a list of 5 keywords;
- please keep the references to the minimum.
Session formats
Proposals presenting original research are invited in these formats:
Paper sessions
Paper sessions consist of a 20-minute presentation of recently completed research, followed by a 10-minute Q&A session. Presenters should organize their delivery to focus on the research gist, methodology, and key findings rather than reading the full paper verbatim.
Poster presentation
Poster session combines a graphic display of posters with the authors' brief presentations of on-going or completed research. Recommended format: A1 standard, portrait, 59.4 × 84.1 cm. All posters are grouped in a single poster session. Each author briefly presents their poster to the attendees. The Q&A session is usually a lively discussion in front of the posters.
Workshop
Workshops are hands-on sessions where participants (up to 20) can develop or enhance new skills, work with peers and more experienced colleagues, and apply their knowledge in a practical environment. Workshops emphasize collaboration and typically focus on specific tools, techniques, or best practices. Guided group interaction is the key. Duration: 60 minutes.
Roundtable / Panel Discussion
Roundtable discussions usually gather four to five speakers and a moderator to debate with the audience an important topic or question, one that is relevant for literacy, education, AI, and society in general. Each speaker can present their viewpoint in 10 minutes (no slides) followed by a discussion with the audience.