November 18, 2008

Contact:
Jeremy Craig, 404-413-1357
University Relations

Georgia State faculty explore language and literacy

ATLANTA – Georgia State University faculty are exploring how language and literacy are acquired – which opens the doors for learning across ages and content areas.

The Language and Literacy Initiative brings together researchers from multiple departments and colleges who are interested in language and reading acquisition. They are focusing on individuals and groups which face challenges to acquiring these skills in typical ways, such as individuals with learning and intellectual disabilities, as well as adults acquiring reading skills for the first time or second language learners.

“This is an incredible opportunity to bring together expertise from multiple colleges, departments and centers to highlight our work in this area at Georgia State,” said Rose Sevcik, professor of psychology and co-director of the Language and Literacy area of focus.

“This will be one of the few centers in the country looking specifically at certain populations, including adults who did not develop literacy while in school, persons with disabilities, as well as juveniles in the juvenile justice system,” said Paul Alberto, professor of educational psychology and special education and co-director of Language and Literacy.

“We’re ready to bring this research to the public in order to help schools and adult literacy programs,” Alberto explained. “Coming together allows us to create a synergy which will aid in obtaining federal funding to advance in this area.”

The Language and Literacy area of focus started this July.  Departments involved in Language and Literacy include applied linguistics, psychology, philosophy and communication in the College of Arts and Sciences; and educational psychology and special education, early childhood education, and policy studies in the College of Education.

Sevcik and Alberto said the university is working to attract top faculty from across the country. Additionally, nine Language and Literacy doctoral fellows have been named, and five seed grants have been awarded, aimed at starting new research programs or helping young faculty further their work.

Previous areas of focus reaching across departments and colleges, such as Brains and Behavior, have yielded valuable new research and boosted Georgia State’s national and international reputation in areas of expertise.

The Brains and Behavior initiative transitioned this year into the Neuroscience Institute, which works to enhance neuroscience and stretches across multiple departments, including biology, chemistry, mathematics and statistics, computer science, philosophy, psychology, and physics and astronomy.