Linguistics and Education最新文献

There is limited research that examines African American students’ language learning experiences in Spanish-English dual-language program settings, which exacerbates the narrative that African American students are not the “ideal” demographic for bilingual programs. To address these concerns, we highlight the experiences of two African American multilingual children to examine how they form their translanguaging repertoires. Specifically, we focus on three types of enactments in which they embodied these repertoires, which revealed how they engaged language learning in dynamic and varied ways. These examples further challenge traditional norms engendered in bilingual programming writ large that exhibit narrow viewpoints of language speakers and language speaking.

Although some of the scholarship in applied linguistics and teacher education illustrates an understanding of the complicated domination of English—and particularly White Mainstream English (WME)—in the education of multilingual students who are learning English as an additional language, the issue remains that the teaching and learning of English is often positioned as a neutral, value-free endeavor in much of the curriculum and practice used in US K-12 classrooms, and around the world. Therefore, an important question centers around how teachers might use linguistically sustaining, humanizing language practices in their classrooms, despite working in contexts that generally privilege WME. To illustrate the important role that teachers can play in supporting humanizing, linguistically vibrant classrooms, we highlight the practices of Catherine, an African American teacher of multilingual students, and explore how she leveraged her own multilingualism to affirm a variety of language practices in her classroom.

A debate over the construct of academic language (AL) has engendered significant polarization in the field of language education. The issues at the heart of the AL debate are thorny and persistently elusive to resolve. Yet they are not unpredictable, particularly when viewed from the perspective of how scientific communities advance knowledge. In this article, we highlight two thorny issues with AL from the perspective of scientific practice: (a) the modeling issue and (b) the paradigm issue. For each issue, we discuss methodological and pedagogical implications using examples from research on language use in STEM education. Further, we analyze how the two thorny issues have manifested in other contentious debates in language education (cognitive-social debate, translanguaging vs. codeswitching). Finally, we propose ways forward in light of the thorny issues toward advancing our collective knowledge as a community of researchers and practitioners committed to the education of language minoritized students.

Drawing on a LangCrit perspective conscious of overlapping (or intersectional) processes of privilege and marginalization, we used a QuantCrit-informed critical discourse analysis to assess how the websites of 12 of the largest US school districts were communicating student demographics related to their dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs across race, socioeconomics, ability, and English-learner designation. Findings show that explicitly DLBE-related documents never referred to student demographic percentages and none of the data portals could show overlapping demographic categories. Only one district offered program-level data, which suggested starkly lower inclusion of students with disabilities compared to school-level and district-level data. School-level data for other districts suggested equal to equitable access in all categories except ability. We call for (1) more research and advocacy to rectify demographic exclusions and (2) program-level reporting that can show overlapping demographics so that the public can better check for equity in special programs like DLBE.

Little research explored how frequently and for what functions translanguaging occurs during second language (L2) writing processes. To fill this research gap, the study analysed translanguaging occurrences in 53 undergraduates’ L2 writing processes. Translanguaging data were collected through think-aloud protocols, computer screen recordings, stimulated recall, and written drafts. Data analyses yielded four main findings: (1) on average, learners of varied L2 proficiency levels translanguaged frequently during their L2 writing processes; (2) reasoning was the least frequently performed translanguaging function, while repetition was the most frequently performed translanguaging function; (3) the lower-level L2 students performed translanguaging significantly more often than did their higher-level counterparts; (4) the higher-level L2 students translanguaged for monitoring significantly less often than did their lower-level counterparts. This study can contribute to the literature on translanguaging by exploring cognitively mediational roles of translanguaging and examining potential influences of L2 proficiency on the frequencies and functions of translanguaging.

This paper explores learning practices facilitated by participants’ use of the chat function in a video-mediated second language context. Using Conversation Analysis with a multimodal approach, this paper examines naturally occurring interactions between different first language users (L1 users) and one second language user (L2) of Norwegian at a digital language café. Typically, in cases where the L2 speaker indicates a problem with a linguistic item, the L1 users write in the chat as part of their repair solution.

The findings show how the use of the chat contributes to various language learning practices, including practicing linguistic forms, using the newly learned item and looking up words on a smartphone. The study provides new empirical insights into how participants utilize digital resources in video-mediated L2 settings for language learning purposes.

This study investigates how language requirements for residency and citizenship influence the professional identities and sense of agency of introduction program language teachers throughout Scandinavia. While Denmark introduced formal language requirements two decades ago, language requirements were effectuated in Norway starting in 2017. In Sweden, requirements have been proposed, but not introduced. The data comprises narrative interviews with 24 experienced language and literacy teachers. Drawing on street-level bureaucracy theory and narrative positioning analysis, the study shows that the introduction of formal requirements represents a turning point in teachers’ professional narratives that are recognized as a gradual reduction of agency and a narrowing of the space where professional identities can be negotiated. Whereas the Swedish teachers largely identify as students’ agents, Norwegian and Danish language teachers to a larger extent, yet partly unwillingly, negotiate their professional roles at the intersection between policy and professional standards and in dialog with the policy demands.

The extent to which university students read, write, speak, and listen in a range of registers is not completely understood, but such descriptions could lead to better designed curriculum for English learners. The purpose of this study is to estimate the proportions of time American university students spend reading, writing, speaking, and listening in various registers. The present study combines diary and survey techniques to describe the language use behavior for 53 university students. The results indicated that nearly half of university student language use time is spent listening (49.5 %), followed by reading (20.7 %), writing (18.2 %), and speaking (11.6 %). Students also engaged in 37 distinct registers, with face-to-face conversations (12.32 %), homework problems (10.70 %), and lyrical music listening (10.46 %) being the most frequent. This description of university student language use could be useful for ESL curriculum design and shows that proportional descriptions of language use are more feasible than previously asserted.

This study explores student-led literary book-group discussions in a linguistically diverse upper-secondary language classroom. It employs linguistic ethnography and focuses on minoritized migrant students’ fictive and factive readings of a novel; the participation roles they assumed; and how they reflected on different book-group formations over time. A stance analysis based on chronotopic concepts in relation to contact zone classrooms and safe houses demonstrates how students positioned themselves as knowledgeable discussants of literary texts and life. It also shows how the students were able to create a circle of trust in the safe house and aspire to contact zone contexts beyond the language classroom. Furthermore, the findings are indicative of students’ increased sense of social belonging and linguistic participation as a result of flexible grouping strategies and student autonomy in terms of how to engage with literary texts.

This scoping review aims to examine the literature regarding cultural representation in foreign language textbooks. This review identifies eight research foci by systematically mapping and synthesizing 62 studies spanning from 2012 to 2022. In addition, it reviews theoretical/conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and implications for stakeholders involved in cultural representation studies in foreign language textbooks. This study reveals a tendency for some cultures to be either overlooked or misinterpreted. It observes that textbooks often represent culture implicitly rather than explicitly, and notes changes in research foci and methodologies over time. The review highlights the need for two principal enhancements in the realm of textbook research: firstly, to better bridge the nexus between research and practices; secondly, to address the somewhat fragmented nature of research endeavours in this field by taking steps towards interdisciplinary, intersectional, interactive, and intersubjective approaches. Implications for future research are also provided.