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Mental health is being reframed as a fundamental right for all people, and mental health literacy is a tool that can enable patients to gain the knowledge, personal skills, and confidence to take action to improve their mental health, and their lives overall. This exploratory study analysed the power of dialogic literary gatherings (DLGs) to foster it in a group of patients with mental health disorders who gathered for 1 h once a week to share their readings of literature masterpieces. During the year-long study, a total of 140 patients participated in the DLGs in groups of 12 to 15 people. Results suggest that DLGs promoted the development of the participants’ mental health literacy and produced gains in emotional and social wellbeing by strengthening reading, speaking, and listening skills, fostering supportive relations, contributing to overcoming stigma, and enhancing agency. The transferability of DLGs to mental health care is discussed.

There is strong scientific evidence on the academic, cognitive, social, and emotional benefits of Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLG) for diverse people in a wide range of settings. However, the transference of DLG to a primary healthcare centre has not yet been studied. To address this gap a case study was conducted on the impact of a DLG in a primary healthcare centre on participants' mental health and wellbeing from the perception of participants and professionals involved in it. To that end, four daily life stories and a focus group with women participating in the DLG, most of them over 75 years old with no higher education, were conducted, as well as two in-depth interviews, one with the DLG facilitator and one with the director of the health centre. Results show that participants perceived their mental health and wellbeing improved thanks to the functioning and type of dialogue in the DLG, promoting friendships, support and solidarity. Participants also reported that, by being aware of their capabilities in the DLG, they became agents of transformation within their families and environments, turning relationships between healthcare professionals and patients more egalitarian. These findings hold implications for public health and healthcare centres.

Background People with psychosis often experience a fragmented sense of self, making it difficult to integrate perceptions, memories, thoughts, and emotions related to themselves and others. Enhancing mentalization processes and fostering reflection are crucial for comprehensive recovery. As these processes are naturally developed through meaningful interactions and dialogue, incorporating a dialogic approach into the treatment of psychotic disorders may significantly support recovery. Methods This study examines the impact of Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs) on the ability of mentalizing in individuals with psychosis. A quasi-experimental mixed-methods study was conducted with 23 participants (6 women and 17 men) diagnosed with psychosis. Over five months, participants engaged in 18 DLG sessions. Mentalizing ability was assessed using the Mentalization Scale (MentS), and qualitative data included interviews ( n  = 2) and focus groups ( n  = 3), to explore changes in mentalization. Results Participants reported an increase in mentalizing towards others and toward him or herself, and in motivation to mentalize. Dialogues during DLGs fostered empathy, awareness of individual differences, and deeper engagement with others’ emotions. Besides, sharing feelings in this dialogic environment enabled participants to reflect on past experiences and find purpose in life. Consistently, patients reported that these dialogues provided a platform for expressing emotions, re-evaluating life perspectives, and achieving greater self-awareness. Conclusions This study highlights Dialogic Literary Gatherings as a valuable tool for enhancing the ability to mentalize in clinical populations, offering a complementary approach to traditional psychotherapeutic interventions for individuals with psychosis.

According to Bourdieu, class position is related to cultural capital, taste, and preferences. Accordingly, the author states that, because of their “habitus,” those from high social classes have higher cultural capital and preferences for highbrow culture, which gives them more chances to succeed in life. On the contrary, those from low social classes have lower cultural capital because of their lowbrow cultural preferences, which makes it more difficult for them to achieve in a system that favors the dominant classes. Through the review of articles on Dialogic Literary Gatherings published in peer-reviewed journals, this article aims to provide more insights on how the principles of dialogic learning occur. The results of the review challenge Bourdieu’s concept of “habitus,” providing evidence of how socioeconomic status (SES) is not determinant to cultural capital.

In order to improve educational conditions of families lacking digital resources during the home lockdown associated with the COVID-19 crisis, a project of educational and emotional support through books featuring Dialogic Literary Gatherings was carried out, with the name “Books that Bring People Together”. We present the main results of the impact of this activity from the point of view of n = 63 volunteers who participated in it. Using Student’s t-test for related samples, the differences in volunteers’ competencies before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the experience were tested, in order to analyze whether the activity had also exerted an impact on these competencies. Moreover, a correlation analysis was applied between the items for evaluating family participation by the volunteers, volunteer skills, and training, with the aim of testing the relationships between those variables as a result of participation in the experience. Results show that families found that accompaniment improved the quality of life of their children, making them feel loved and accompanied. In addition, the family atmosphere was improved, as did the children’s interest in reading. This mode of training led to greater involvement, motivation, and interest, thereby complying with a transversal axis of the process—community participation.

The acquisition of oral communication skills is essential for lifelong learning and development. Despite their importance, specific approaches oriented to its acquisition and mastery in second languages (L2) are not widely established. Indeed, the prevalence of a monologic classroom discourse still hinders the opportunities to enhance language production. This article analyses the development of L2 oracy skills among secondary school students who have participated in Dialogic Literary Gatherings, a dialogue-based educational action, in Basque. The interactions of five students were observed and analyzed using the Cambridge Oracy Assessment Toolkit. The study also included an interview with the teacher, and a focus group with the participant students. The results show that L2 oracy skills of the students evolve when they participate in these dialogic encounters, especially in the cognitive and socio-emotional areas. Implications for the teaching of L2 spoken language are discussed.

The scientific literature has evidenced that certain educational and dialogic actions have been successful at increasing the quality of social interactions and improving mental health, among other beneficial aspects. One of these dialogic actions is the dialogic literary gathering (DLG). The impacts of DLGs have been demonstrated in Europe and South America but have yet to be explored in Eastern culture. The goal of the current study was to analyze the transferability of DLGs within South Asian culture in Pakistan. Specifically, the aim was to identify how the DLGs impacted the social interactions of middle-aged to older adults who were caregivers for children with disabilities. This research used a qualitative case study design with a communicative methodology to study a group of adult family members at a special education school who participated in the DLGs. Data collection included interviews, focus groups, and observations, and a thematic analysis was carried out. Based on the analysis, four broad categories emerged: cognitive engagement, mental well-being, self-development, and social–emotional experiences. Overall, the results demonstrate that the DLGs facilitated positive self-changes among participants, enabling them to experience and express a wide range of emotions through social interactions.

Research in the field of educational linguistics has found that low levels of academic language development negatively affect children’s language, reading and writing skills and, therefore, academic achievements. This is more noticeable in students from low SES backgrounds, who traditionally have a lower exposure to academic language. Nevertheless, dialogic learning environments such as Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs), a worldwide educational practice where participants read and debate literary classics in an egalitarian dialogue, contribute to the appearance of school-relevant language and literacy skills. Although multiple studies on DLGs have shown their impact in different levels, including improving vocabulary and reading skills, the emergence of such skills has not been studied in depth yet. This exploratory study aims to analyze the emergence of academic language and literacy skills in 19 students between the ages of 11 and 13 studying in a school in Spain with over 90% immigrant students. Results show that the egalitarian dialogue in which DLGs are based favors the emergence of school-relevant language and literacy skills, such as judgements and arguments, referential links, or connectives.

Existe un consenso a nivel internacional sobre la importancia de garantizar la participación igualitaria de todo el alumnado, incluido aquel con necesidades especiales. Décadas de investigación han evidenciado que el diálogo y las interacciones son clave para el aprendizaje y el desarrollo. Sin embargo, se sabe menos sobre cómo garantizar la participación igualitaria en un contexto con alumnado diverso. Este estudio se centra en la implementación de una práctica educativa basada en la interacción y el diálogo la cual ha demostrado favorecer el éxito educativo en diferentes contextos (Tertulias Literarias Dialógicas). En concreto, explora en profundidad el caso de una escuela en la que se han realizado 18 observaciones en Educación Secundaria, 2 entrevistas al profesorado y un grupo de discusión con el alumnado. Los resultados del estudio señalan que las Tertulias Literarias Dialógicas garantizan una participación igualitaria haciendo que el todo el alumnado, incluso aquel que no participa en otros contextos, se sienta más seguro para intervenir; escuche activamente y respete las aportaciones de sus iguales; y que aprenda de las aportaciones de sus compañeros y compañeras. There is an international consensus on the importance of ensuring the equal participation of all learners, including those with special needs. Decades of research have shown that dialogue and interactions are key in learning and development. However, less is known about how to ensure equal participation in a context with diverse students. This study implements an educational practice based on interaction and dialogue that has been shown to favor educational success in different contexts (Dialogic Literary Gatherings). Specifically, it explores in depth the case of a school in which 18 observations were carried out in Secondary Education, 2 interviews with teachers and a Discussion Group with students. The results of the study indicate that the Dialogic Literary Gatherings guarantee equal participation, making all students, even those who do not participate in other contexts, feel more confident to intervene, to listen actively and respect the contributions of their peers, and to learn from the contributions of their classmates.

La siguiente investigación pretende indagar en el impacto de las Tertulias Dialógicas en el ámbito universitario y en los modelos significativos de conversación que pueden desarrollarse a través de estas.Con este fin, se han desarrollado dos Tertulias Literarias Dialógicas y cuatro Tertulias Pedagógicas Dialógicas en dos grados diferentes de la Universidad de Deusto (Bilbao).En cuanto a los resultados, se ha apreciado una estrecha relación entre los temas derivados de los libros trabajados y los intereses de los alumnos. Igualmente, se ha podido comprobar que los alumnos desarrollan más funciones cuanto mayor es la práctica de las tertulias.Por lo que se concluye que las Tertulias Dialógicas resultan efectivas a la hora de conectar cuestiones sociales con la vida personal de los participantes, y en su desarrollo cognitivo, lo que ayuda a un desarrollo integral de la persona.