CeiED participated in the ARLE/IFTE Barcelona 2026 International Conference – The Unbounded Journey: The Teaching of First Language, Literacy and Literature in a Dynamic World

Regina Duarte, an integrated researcher at CeiED and lecturer at Universidade Lusófona, presented the paper "Visible Readers? Teachers' Self-Perceptions as Reading Models in Reading for Pleasure Contexts", which explored how Portuguese teachers perceive their role as reading role models.

Addressing one of the conference's central themes—the relationship between teacher identity, literacy, and the development of readers—the study highlights that teachers' reading identities remain an underexplored dimension in the promotion of reading for pleasure. The findings underscore the need to give greater attention to this aspect in both initial teacher education and continuing professional development.

Organised by the International Association for Research in L1 Education (ARLE) and the International Federation for the Teaching of English (IFTE), the conference brought together 576 researchers and educators from 53 countries, representing 260 universities and institutions. The programme featured more than 430 academic presentations, including keynote lectures, symposia, parallel sessions, workshops, and roundtable discussions, reflecting the diversity and quality of international research in language education, literacy, literature, and teacher education. The 2026 edition also marked the 130th anniversary of the birth of Lev Vygotsky, whose work served as one of the conference's main themes for reflection.

Participation in this international conference reinforces CeiED's internationalisation strategy by promoting the dissemination of research carried out within CeiED and Universidade Lusófona, while strengthening collaborative networks dedicated to language, literature, and literacy education.