Micro level language planning, agency, and ICT in community language schools: before, during and after the pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Community language schools are grassroots initiatives set up by immigrant communities aiming to teach language and culture to children and descendants of migrants. During the Covid-19 pandemic, issues around ICT and equity sat at the heart of educational planning, ranging from student access to ICT to ensuring teachers’ understanding of technological affordances. Although a myriad of emerging research highlights the many benefits and challenges mainstream teachers experience during the pandemic, little is known about community language planning before, during, or after the pandemic. With a micro-level language planning perspective, the aim of this study is to explore the context of ICT in community language schools and teachers’ decisions around ICT uptake for teaching and learning both before and during the covid-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic survey and follow-up interviews show that community language school teachers had limited access to ICT for teaching purposes before periods of teaching from home, but teachers’ agency during online teaching afforded innovative solutions that will likely continue to impact ICT in community language planning post-pandemic.