Teachers’ collaboration-mediated practices in meeting the needs of refugee EAL students in the Victorian secondary science classroom

Abstract This paper examines the collaborative practices of an English as an additional language (EAL) teacher and a content area teacher in meeting the needs of refugee students in a secondary science classroom. The study is based in Victoria, Australia. Drawing on a sociocultural perspective on mediated teacher work, the study gathered qualitative data primarily through two group interviews with the teachers in the middle and at the end of the school term. A secondary source of data includes relevant documents namely teaching materials, students’ work, and teachers’ notes. Content analysis of data shows two broad collaborative practices, including joint lesson planning and resources development and joint teaching. These collaborative practices were found to create structured mediational spaces that enabled them to effectively work together to meet the needs of refugee EAL students in their class. The study generates implications for content and EAL teachers in collaboratively addressing the needs of refugees in mainstream classrooms and for school leadership in supporting EAL and content teachers in this process.