Call for JLS Special Issue Proposals (2027) 

Journal of the Learning Sciences (JLS) invites proposals for a special issue to be published in 2027. Instructions for preparing a proposal are posted on the JLS website. Proposals are due January 8, 2025 and will be peer reviewed by the journal’s editorial leadership team. We will notify the submitters of the accepted proposal in March 2025.

Special issues are opportunities for shifting and advancing the field, for drawing needed attention to issues that are not on our collective radar but which you think should be. Special issues can also be used to respond to urgent societal issues and developments. A successful JLS special issue can become a critical resource for senior and early-career scholars as we make our way in our complex and dynamic world of learning. 

We welcome special issue proposals on any topic that you think can shape conceptual, methodological, or technological innovations in the field and increase our ability to make consequential impact on practice and policy, internationally. Some possible areas of interest to our readership include: 

• Learning dynamics and innovations in cultural/geographical contexts that have historically been underrepresented in the Learning Sciences
• Transformations in our views of learning at the intersection of race, equity, and technology development
• Power dynamics, oppressive narratives, and learning
• Learning and unlearning in relation to systems transformation
• Methodological innovations to investigate complex learning across levels and contexts
• System-level innovations that leverage learning sciences research and technology advancements

Authors may refer to our editorial note for example topics and priorities. We encourage proposals that include and reflect international concerns and perspectives. Towards this end, proposal submissions may include names of suggested authors as well as their institutional affiliations and/or brief description of their geographic areas of expertise.

The review of the proposals will consider the following specific questions:

• To what extent is the proposed focus of the special issue relevant to the field of the learning sciences?
• To what extent is the focus of the special issue grounded in and expanding upon learning sciences literature and theory, pushing for new theory building, engaging in methodological innovation, or planning to present empirical analyses of under-investigated learning processes and contexts?
• Is the editorial team capable of organizing a special issue for Journal of the Learning Sciences that speaks to the past, present, and future of the field?
• Does the editorial team reflect the global and diverse community of the learning sciences?

We recommend that authors who are interested in submitting a special issue proposal connect with the Co-Editors in Chief (Jianwei Zhang and Susan Jurow) via email at [email protected] and [email protected] for feedback on proposal ideas. We can also share successful special issue proposals as requested.

Susan Jurow and Jianwei Zhang

Co-Editors in Chief, Journal of the Learning Sciences