Dear ARWA Members, Literacy Researchers, Educators, Students, and Advocates,
The Association for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA) 11th Annual Conference will take place on March 6–7, 2027, at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. The Conference will provide an interactive platform for academics, researchers, and students to share their insights and research on reading and writing. Researchers will deliver presentations across the spectrum of literacy development, literacy impairment, and skilled language processing in Asia, from related fields such as psychology, education, linguistics, cognitive science, and neuroscience.
The two-day Conference will feature the following activities:
Keynote Sessions
The keynote speakers are Dr. Penny Pexman (Western University, Canada) and Dr. Taeko Wydell (Brunel University London, United Kingdom).
Oral Presentations
A spoken paper will take 15 minutes, followed by a 5-minute audience discussion.
Poster Presentations
Poster sessions provide an opportunity for presenters to discuss their research informally and in depth with conference participants. Submissions from both established and early-career researchers are warmly welcomed.
Panel Symposium
A symposium provides an opportunity to examine one topic in depth or from different perspectives. Symposium sessions are directed by one chair, with 3–4 presenters giving 15-minute spoken papers, each followed by a 5-minute audience discussion.
There are many reasons to participate in the conference:
Share your research findings with researchers in reading and writing across different languages.
Connect with researchers and future collaborators from around the world.
Explore the opportunity to publish your research in a Special Issue of Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal.
Meet the ARWA scholarship and career awards winners.
Gain professional experience.
You are cordially invited to submit your abstract here:
IMPORTANT DATES
Abstract submission deadline: October 30, 2026
Notification of results (by): December 10, 2026
Registration deadline for presenters: January 15, 2027
Registration deadline for attendees: January 30, 2027
Please spread the word to all who may be interested in attending.
Thank you, and we look forward to receiving your abstracts and welcoming you to Sendai!
Best regards,
ARWA 2027 Organizing Committee
Association for Reading and Writing in Asia
Mariko Nakayama, Ayumi Seki, Kosei Hashimoto, and Masahiro Yoshihara
Note: If you have any questions about the content and criteria of abstract submission, please email the Conference Coordinator, Prof. Mariko Nakayama, at mariko.nakayama.d5@tohoku.ac.jp. If you encounter any technical issues, please email Dr. Vince Ngan at arwaenquiry@gmail.com.
Image Credit: 掬茶, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
