New Open Access Research Articles

Supporting students from linguistically diverse backgrounds during remote learning: A Q methodology study
Students with English as an additional language (EAL) comprise approximately a third of the government school population in Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria. While the broad impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers and students has been the focus of recent studies, there is a lack of information on how EAL educators adapted to meet the needs of this diverse cohort of students during periods of emergency remote teaching (ERT). In this mixed-methods study, eleven EAL educators from diverse educational contexts in Victoria completed a Q-sort of 49 statements followed by in-depth interviews. The by-person factor analysis resulted in a three-factor solution that revealed the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic brought both challenges and opportunities for EAL educators. Some students who struggled in traditional classrooms engaged more effectively in remote learning, while others experienced significant anxiety. Additionally, some educators experimented with digital tools and strategies, gaining valuable insights into effective approaches for students with EAL. These findings render a nuanced picture of educators’ experiences during this time, enhancing our understanding of transformative educational practices for linguistically diverse students.

Bonar, G., Slaughter, Y., Keary, A., & Alderton, T. (2024). Supporting students from linguistically diverse backgrounds during remote learning: A Q methodology study. Australian Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-024-00753-w

The affordances of identity texts with adult English language learners with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)
Working with adult Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) requires teachers to develop a knowledge and understanding of a complex range of matters related to pedagogy, language and literacy acquisition and the practical and socio-emotional challenges of resettlement. Limited research has focused on how teachers can support students’ literacy practices and the expression of students’ rich life experiences and knowledge systems through language learning. Using a design-based framework and undertaken across 10 weeks, this research investigated the pedagogical potential of identity texts when working with adult SLIFE in the Australian context. The collaborative research design involved teachers and teacher educators participating in ongoing professional learning sessions as a range of identity texts were integrated into lessons. Data collected included classroom recordings, recordings from professional learning sessions and formal interviews with teachers and materials produced by learners during the project. A thematic analysis of the data highlighted the transformative potential of the use of identity texts in creating more inclusive, student-centred learning environments and greater learner agency. Further work is needed to better understand the necessary pace, tempo and utility of a range of identity texts in adult SLIFE language learning contexts.

Slaughter, Y., & Choi, J. (2024). The affordances of identity texts with adult English language learners with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE). English Teaching & Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-024-00184-x

A Q methodological study into pre-service Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) teachers’ mindsets about teaching competencies
A teacher’s mindset significantly affects their engagement, development, teaching quality, and well-being. This is crucial for pre-service teachers acquiring competencies for effective teaching. While research often focuses on English language teaching in Western contexts, little explores non-Western language teaching mindsets. Given the intersections of associated social, cultural, and linguistic variables with mindset, this study investigates Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) pre-service teachers’ mindsets on teaching competencies. The study utilized Q methodology, which is a philosophical and conceptual framework for examining subjectivity, and post-sort questionnaires with 39 pre-service teachers in China. The research findings provide important insights into the diverse and contradictory mindsets of pre-service CFL teachers, and the ideologies influencing beliefs as to what constitutes effective language teaching in the Chinese socio-cultural and socio-political context, providing insights into how teacher training programs need to be tailored to challenge and extend the complex mindsets held by pre-service language teachers.

Yuan, C., Zhu, Y., & Slaughter, Y. (2024). A Q methodological study into pre-service Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) teachers’ mindsets about teaching competencies. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2023-0228

Young Children’s Play and the Role of Grandparents During COVID-19
Play involves diverse meaning-making for young children and grandparents. This paper derives from a larger intergenerational family practices project conducted in Australia during 2021–2022 against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research team undertook intergenerational group interviews and filmed family play activities in addition to collecting videoclips and photos of young children’s play from six families. In this paper, vignettes from two families are described and given meaning. Rogoff’s social learning three planes theory involving the intertwined and interdependent—‘personal’, ‘interpersonal’, and ‘community’—planes is used to analyse the data. Our findings show the important role that grandparents play in facilitating children’s learning including through the creation of linguistic and cultural heritage play spaces. We argue that intergenerational play practices can offer a means to integrate linguistic and cultural experiences in young children’s lives by providing a space and time for social interaction and learning.

Keary, A., Garvis, S., Slaughter, Y, Walsh, L. (2024). Young Children’s Play and the Role of Grandparents During COVID-19. Education Sciences, 14(7), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070771

Connecting points: New perspectives for English, EAL/D and languages educators
Truckenbrodt, A., & Slaughter, Y. (2024). New perspectives for English, EAL/D and languages educators. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 32(2), 12-14. http://www.alea.edu.au/