Sustaining and expanding language education opportunities

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has become an increasingly integral component of language education, offering a diverse array of tools and resources to enhance the teaching and learning of languages. This article explores the integration of CALL in language education, examining its impact on pedagogy, and the overall or learning experience.Additionally, based on this research Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has significantly impacted language education, offering transformative opportunities for language learners and educators alike. By harnessing the power of technology, CALL has the potential to revolutionize language education, fostering inclusive, interactive, and personalized learning experiences in the digital era.

I am pleased to introduce our first non-thematic collection of peer-reviewed articles in 2015. As we move toward making the International Bureau of Education (IBE) a global Center of Excellence, we continue to gradually shift the focus of Prospects, so it can more effectively address IBE’s mandate and strategic goals. The heart of our work is strengthening the capacity of education systems to equitably provide high-quality education and effective learning opportunities—thus contributing to quality Education for All. Likewise, Prospects increasingly focuses on issues central to our broad efforts to produce, compile, and disseminate up-to-date information and analyses in the areas of curriculum, learning, and assessment. In this issue we include articles that bear directly on these three areas, with topics ranging from curriculum reform and inclusive education to active learning, vocational training, and formal, nonformal, and informal learning. Specifically, the articles examine research-based early-grade reading programmes; teacher enactment of active-learning pedagogy; disability-inclusive indicators that are local and contextually applicable; instruction in local language as one aspect of the right to education; engagement of higher education institutions in disaster prevention and mitigation; access to different types of learning and training in rural areas; and the duality principle (the integration of theory and practice in the context of vocational education and training). Besides adding substantive arguments to ongoing scholarly debates, all the articles also develop valuable recommendations for policymakers. John P. Comings proposes a research-based model for design of early-grade reading programmes. The model has three components: (1) schools should provide instruction in a language their students speak and understand; (2) teachers should employ instruction that is consistent with the current evidence-based theory of how children acquire and improve reading skills; and (3) to make meaningful progress, students should spend sufficient time

The importance of cultivating creativity in language education has been widely acknowledged in the academic literature. In this respect, digital technologies can play a key role in achieving this endeavour. The socio-cultural conceptualization of creativity stresses the role of communication, collaboration and dialogical interaction of creative expression in language education. The objective of this paper is to study the literature focusing on cases of collaborative creativity and technology embedded in language education. To this end, we carry out a systematic revision of state-of-the-art literature consisting of 26 blind peer-reviewed empirical studies selected from several databases that address our main research question, namely, which specific roles and forms of digital technology can be identified in the existing literature that support collaborative creativity in language education. Results show that the features of digital technology unfold a range of learning opportunities in language education and can play three different roles in promoting collaborative creativity: (1) as a tutoring device that guides the implementation of key co-creation skills; (2) as a tool that enables and shapes the development of co-creative thinking skills; and (3) as a medium that creates rich and resourceful environments to stimulate the emergence of collective creative processes. The paper also reveals that these three roles can be performed using a wide range of interactive technologies that encourage students to participate in a rich, co-creative language learning experience and equip learners with key competences to approach complex problems in a globalised and hyper-connected world. Finally, this paper may contribute to developing future language technology-enhanced learning projects capable of promoting key collaborative and creative processes.

Choice of instructional language is influenced by both previous and current perceptions of the value of a given language. For many South African learners, this has contributed to their education being presented either partially or entirely in a second or third language. This effectively limits their cultural capital and educational opportunities. The negative impact of non-equivalence between home language and instructional language is arguably more influential for linguistically dense school subjects, for example Science more so than Mathematics. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015 data allows exploration of the relationship between language non-equivalence and academic achievement as well as its differential association across subjects. The current paper also aims to investigate this relative to the impact of other contextual factors on Science and Mathematics achievement. Secondary analysis was performed on South African Grade 9 TIMSS 2015 country data using multiple regression procedures. Variables related to language were included in modelling at the learner, teacher and school levels. Results indicated that learner-level factors greatly outweighed those from the teacher and school levels. In line with expectations, resource availability as well as home language and instructional language equivalence significantly predicted Mathematics and Science achievement. Furthermore, the impact of language equivalence was higher in Science achievement. These results indicate that improvement of the processes leading to instructional language proficiency, be it at learner, teacher or school level, will contribute to higher academic achievement amongst South African learners and indeed for international second-language learners. With regard to classroom Science teaching and learning, it is also motivated that teachers need to be cognisant of the continuing impact of language for learners as they may need to incorporate innovative techniques and/or guidance.

In an era of global connectivity, language and literature education faces the challenge of navigating multilingualism, cultural diversity, and technological advancements. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities in language and literature education in the era of global connectivity. Through a qualitative research approach, interviews, focus group discussions, and classroom observations were conducted with 30 Arts and Sciences students and teachers. The findings reveal significant themes related to cultural diversity, multilingualism, and the integration of technology in language learning. The study emphasizes the importance of inclusive pedagogies, critical thinking development, and the incorporation of authentic and diverse literary works. Recommendations are provided for educators and policymakers to promote intercultural understanding and enhance language and literature education. The limitations of the study suggest areas for future research, including long-term language proficiency and diverse contextual considerations. Overall, this paper calls for ongoing innovation and collaboration to meet the evolving needs of language and literature education in an interconnected world.Keywords: cultural diversity; era of global connectivity; language and literature education; multilingualism; technological advancements; qualitative research approach.JEL Classification: I20; O33.Cite this chapterEslit, E. R. (2023). Language and Literature Education in the Era of Global Connectivity: Navigating Multilingualism, Cultural Diversity, and Technological Advancements. In L., Nicola-Gavrilă (Ed), Digital Future in Education: Paradoxes, Hopes and Realities (104-163 pp.). ISBN: 978-606-95516-1-5. Book Series Socio-Economics, Research, Innovation and Technologies (SERITHA) ISSN: 3008-4237. https://doi.org/10.57017/SERITHA.2023.DFE.ch7 Chapter’s history: Received 3rd of July, 2023; Revised 7th of August, 2023; Accepted for publication 23th of August, 2023; Published 30th of September, 2023. 

The study assessed Saudi students’ opinions, obstacles and difficulties, and the educational prospects and opportunities of ChatGPT usage in EFL classrooms. The simple random selection method was utilised to choose 235 respondents from the various stages of undergraduate programs at different colleges of two Saudi universities. A primarily self-designed questionnaire with refined items from earlier studies was sent to other groups for responses. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze the data quantitatively. The findings revealed that Saudi students had great excitement about ChatGPT as an important tool for language acquisition and instruction. They viewed it positively as it helped them overcome certain issues they experienced in a conventional mode of instruction. The study also found that ChatGPT usage posed certain obstacles and challenges such as inhibiting innovative and critical thinking, distorting content and quality, failing to replace EFL teachers, and failing to fully understand the social connotations embedded in idioms and phrases. It was revealed that the remarkable technological and digital infrastructure of Saudi Arabia offers substantial pedagogical and educational implications for the ChatGPT integration in Saudi EFL classes. The study suggests the incorporation of more regions and different from different disciplines to add to the study's reliability and validity.

The education reform carried out after Lithuania regained independence in 1990 has been extensively reported on and evaluated in a number of publications. This type of research is important not only in order to understand the history of Lithuanian education, but also to be able to formulate a perspective of education for future generations. Furthermore, having a thorough understanding of the education reform is also crucial for specialists in charge of the change of today‘s education, authors of alternative textbooks and teachers. The present article deals with a narrow yet fundamental field, i.e. literary education and its change in primary education after the education reform. The theoretical works and documents on aspects of cultural and educational policy written by Dr. M. Lukšienė and other authors of the education reform have influenced the new type of literary education in primary education. The results of a comparative analysis of former and integrated curricula and the contents of the fist integrated textbooks as well as aspects such as the depolitisation of education, integration of literary and language education, new criteria for choosing literary works and their analysis have been integrated into the scope of the article.
 The changes in the school of independent Lithuania started with primary education. This may be the reason why Dr. Meilė Lukšienė, one of the authors of the education reform, focused on the implementation of the curriculum of primary education. She guided the authors of the integrated programme of the Lithuanian language (1992) and reviewed and evaluated the textbooks of the Lithuanian language written in the framework of this programme (1992–1996).
 Throughout the Soviet occupation, the teaching of Lithuanian in primary education was subdivided into segments such as coherent speech, reading, writing, grammar etc. The teaching of Lithuanian was also imbued with Soviet ideology, clearly delineated and academic. The introduction of a new segment into the curriculum of Lithuanian as the first language, i.e. ‘Coherent speech’ was supposed to act as a link between the different parts of the curriculum. It is hard to say whether the aims stipulated in the curriculum were actually achieved in the educational process; however, they were clearly not present in the teaching materials used back then: different textbooks of the different parts of the curriculum were written by different authors who were only interested in serving the purposes of their segments of the curriculum. ‘Coherent speech’ was ultimately to take form of an exercise book.
 This type of teaching and learning was criticised by some Lithuanian linguists, writers and pedagogues. Dr. Meilė Lukšienė underscored the importance of the national culture in educating the young generation in the Soviet period. After regaining independence it was crucial to change and depoliticize language education. A new concept of education was introduced by Dr. Meilė Lukšienė and her colleagues. The concept focuses on the child and not on the subject matter. Their input and insights have helped to create new tendencies of language education. The article focuses on the results of a comparative analysis of integrated and former curricula of the Lithuanian language. Furthermore, the fundamental differences between the goals stipulated in the former and integrated curricula are highlighted. The new curriculum consists of the following central points: 1. integration of literary and language education, 2. prioritizing folklore, ethnography, national literature as part of the national culture, 3. the artistic quality of literary works, 4. differentiated education of the learner’s feelings, creativity and thinking capacity.
 The new tendencies were implemented in the integrated textbooks Šaltinėlis and Šaltinis (written by Elena Marcelionienė and Vida Plentaitė). Th textbooks have a clear system consisting of two planes: fist, a framework encompassing introduction to reading, literary and basic cultural skills was set up. Secondly, guidelines for language education based on the different stages of the child‘s development were introduced. The integration of the two planes has made the teaching of Lithuanian more practical: in this way, the child’s speech and language are developed through experience and the comprehension of texts becomes more complete and emotional, which is very important in the child’s education.
 The ongoing education reform focuses on the differentiation and individualization of education. These two features of education, extensively described by Dr. Lukšienė in her concept of national education, are essential in improving the curriculum of Lithuanian in primary education.

This thesis provides a snapshot of recent language policy initiatives and examines how languages education is being implemented in Victoria in four Primary schools, exploring the nexus between policy and practice. The thesis takes a case study approach, drawing upon interview data from primary school principals, Japanese language teachers, and classroom teachers, as well as government personnel, and members of language teachers’ associations. In examining the connection between policy “intention” and its “implementation” (Lo Bianco and Aliani, 2013) the study applies my expansion of Kaplan and Baldauf’s (1997, 2005) seven components for the examination of the implementation of language-in-education policy. This study identifies several distinctive policy intentions of the Victorian Government which were intended to enable the facilitation of languages education for a student’s personal development, social development, and economic success in this multicultural society. The study particularly confirmed that the Victorian language policy was formulated based on various research insights related to language education and was evaluated reflectively. Furthermore, the Victorian Government actively involved the local community in the policy implementation, which allowed the local community to acknowledge the importance of languages education and to develop the quality of languages education in Victoria. In regard to the nexus between policy and practice, the study identifies various positive impacts of policy, which arose with and were strengthened by the provision of extra funding, often leading to successful implementation and practice within the Japanese programs examined. The current study, in particular, confirmed that strong relationships between policy and practice resulted in the development and expansion of new technology and the ability to explore authentic opportunities for languages education. This study also identifies, however, that in the key area of curriculum the nexus between policy and practice was more problematic. Although policy initiatives supporting innovative approaches such as CLIL, and initiatives aimed at strengthening the links between primary and secondary programs resulted in promising new developments in the focal schools, these were undermined by failures in other policy and resource areas to provide appropriate support. In particular, policies on the goals of language teaching, and teaching time allocation were regarded by schools as unrealistic and un-implementable, within existing school structures and budgets. In addition, in some cases training and information for both Japanese teachers and other school personnel was inadequate to ensure that innovative approaches were properly understood, and that teachers had the skills and supportive conditions to implement them. In these cases, the intention of the policy was not effectively captured in its implementation. Considering the above-mentioned findings, the study therefore argues for the significance of the continuity of involving all community members who are associated with language in-education policy and its implementation, and ensuring that policy ideas are matched by adequate resourcing and adjustments to educational structures, and are implemented in a measured and sustainable way. The continuing wider involvement of all participants and a greater match between policy ideas and the supports needed to implement them will lead to the provision of more developed languages education for children in Victoria.

Language competence is both the means and the end to educational achievement, and multilingualism in particular has important cognitive, academic and societal advantages. The linguistic diversity in South Africa creates an ideal context to provide learners with the educational opportunities that promote high levels of linguistic proficiency in their home and additional languages. Unfortunately, the education system has not delivered on the constitutional imperatives of promoting multilingualism. English continues to dominate as the preferred language of teaching and learning, at the expense and marginalisation of the African languages. This is regarded by many researchers as the primary reason for the disturbingly low numeracy and literacy achievement levels of the majority of South African schoolchildren. However, the effects of language-in-education practices on academic achievement are not straightforward. This paper analyses recent research pertaining to the effects of language-in-education practices and argues that the critical role of educational linguistics is neglected in the South African education system. This affects the quality of teaching irrespective of the language of instruction and has a significant impact on the achievement of our children. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical theoretical perspective on language in education in order to influence policy and practice. An additional aim is to promote the role of speech-language therapists (SLTs) in education, since these professionals are well positioned to work in collaboration with educators to enhance language learning in mainstream/ordinary classrooms. However, SLTs also need to be well informed about the challenges in education and the theory underlying language-in-education practices.

In most cases, parents whose native language is not predominant in the area they live in have no opportunity to choose the language for their children’s instruction in schools. However, in some areas language minority families have options regarding the language of instruction (e.g., Finns in Sweden and Russians in Estonia). This article focuses on language choice from the viewpoint of these families. Typically, discussions of language of instruction have focused on integrative issues, such as creating loyal citizens, or instrumental or practical issues, such as education or labor market opportunities (Mets 2004). Choice, however, may have deeper cultural and emotional meanings for families, and such meanings may need to be considered by policy makers. In the United States, for example, policy debates on language of instruction have largely focused on whether or not to employ bilingual education strategies. In fact, states such as California, Arizona, and Massachusetts have forbidden (via referenda) the use of bilingual education, mandating English immersion, with approximately a year of transition in limited instances. Consequently, research in this area has become so politicized that, when a panel of scholars from the National Research Council studied the issue and found a positive effect from bilingual education, an opponent of bilingual education wrote that the report of the panel was intended to convey that “there is no evidence that there will be long-term advantages or disadvantages to teaching limited-English students in the native language” (Glenn 1997, 66). The study directors themselves had stated to the contrary: “Empirical results . . . support the theory underlying native language instruction” (August and Hakuta 1997, 147). Similarly, a recent meta-analytical study regarding the effectiveness of bilingual versus monolingual educational methods conducted by a panel of researchers appointed by the Bush administration found small to modest gains from bilingual programs. However, the Bush administration, after seeing the findings, declined to release the report (Krashen and McField 2005). In such a highly charged policy climate in the United States, most parents do not have a choice in the language of instruction for their children’s schooling. The U.S. language policy clearly is limiting families’ language

Plurilinguism represents an essential characteristic of the Swiss conception of state.1 According to Article 4 of the Swiss Federal Constitution (Bundesverfassung, hereinafter BV)2 German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic are recognised as national languages on an equal footing.3 Although plurilinguism as such is not a specifically Swiss phenomenon, the language equality with regard to four national languages can certainly be said to be a Swiss particularity worldwide.4 A characteristic of the language diversity in Switzerland is the quite clearly demarcated geographical distribution of the four national languages within four language areas according to their traditional distribution. Hence, although the Swiss federal state is, officially, quadrilingual, most of the Cantons are unilingual.5 Conflicts with regard to the use of languages in the public sphere arise in particular in the multilingual Cantons of Switzerland.6 One sensitive area is the question of the language of instruction in the public school system. It is therefore not surprising that the highest Swiss Court (hereinafter Federal Court) has often been confronted with the problem of language of instruction for national minority children starting school in multilingual Cantons and, interrelated with that, the question of a right to education in one’s mother tongue. The jurisprudence and legal scholars in Switzerland have so far discussed these conflicts mainly, if not exclusively, in the light of the constitutional guarantees regarding the use of languages, in particular the tension between the freedom of language and the territorial language principle (principle of territoriality). Besides, the principle of non-discrimination of minorities has recently been put in the limelight of the discussion.7 Strikingly, problems with regard to the more general principle of equality, in particular the principle of equal educational opportunities, have hardly been discussed and considered so far. The aim of this article is to show that against the legal and educational scientific background regarding equality in education there are good reasons to put more emphasis on the interrelation between language of instruction and equal educational opportunities and, consequently, to mitigate the meaning of the territorial language principle which has, time after time, served to justify considerable restrictions as to the use of (national) minority languages in schools. The focus will be on the recent Fribourg Linguistic Case8 which, once again, brought the latent conflicts regarding language of instruction in multilingual Cantons before the Federal Court. Associations with the Belgian Linguistic Case of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will inevitably arise and, at some points of the discussion, this jurisprudence shall be included. Furthermore, European and international instruments aiming at the protection of language minorities shall be considered where they are of importance and interest in our context. Finally, I will present a short discussion on recent developments in Swiss language policy regarding the field of school education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted language education globally. Issues of equity and access to education have emerged in the literature, spotlighting the exacerbation of extant socio-economic divides in education access and attainment. Among these issues was a global online pivot, with educators and students turning to online education and distance learning. Though largely a response to the immediate challenges faced in the education sector, this transition to distance and online education offered opportunities for language education to respond to the emerging challenges and future needs in global education. With this in mind, this paper argues that distance and online education can facilitate holistic, intercultural, and immersive language learning by offering opportunities for personalised and autonomous learning, and for creating digitally enhanced intercultural spaces to engage with and address global issues in language education.

In Africa, the discussion on the language for deaf education has always centred on the official recognition of sign languages in Africa. Interestingly, just as many African countries have been bequeathed with foreign languages as official languages, foreign-based sign languages are used in many African countries for deaf education. The average educated deaf signer in most African communities has knowledge of at least two sign languages and one or more spoken languages. Ultimately, signing communities have become quite complex multilingual communities. This chapter explores the challenges and opportunities of teaching in multilingual deaf communities in sub-Saharan Africa. With analysis drawn from a synthesised primary and secondary data, the chapter argues that the best approach to deaf education is utilising bimodal multilingualism so that the deaf and hard of hearing students can access deaf and hearing worlds. The chapter also suggests ways of appropriating multilingualism without making indigenous African sign languages inferior.

This chapter covers German, British, and Australian influences on education in the Territories of Papua New Guinea in the nineteenth century, and in the twentieth century before 1975 (when Independence was achieved). Before World War I, Germans supervised formal education in the New Guinea Territory, mostly through missions, and schools spread across the New Guinea islands, Morobe, Madang, and some of the Sepik. Missions also provided education across the Papuan Territory, initially British New Guinea for which the Queensland Government was made responsible. Throughout this period, protectionist policies and distances from places of administration adversely affected the quality and forms of school education in the Territories. After World War I, both New Guinea and Papua were administered by Australia with very limited funding being made available. Decisions were made at the end of World War 1 and at the end of World War II which had important effects on the administration, structure, and nature of formal education in the Territories of Papua and New Guinea. Although the government was keen for education to spread, the opportunities for education were provided mainly by Christian Church missions, and by their missionaries. In individual schools it was the missionaries who defined the ways school education would take place—of particular relevance for this book was the fact that children were usually expected to learn mathematics in their home language. Despite the influence of the missions on schooling, secular policies on education instituted by the Australian Government influenced decisions on who was to be educated, what was to be taught, and what the language of instruction would be.

This study evaluates the attitudes of primary school teachers in Rabhalanguage- majority areas of Assam, a state in India about the use of Rabha as a language of instruction in the light of the new National Education Policy 2020. Fifty one school teachers were surveyed and 15 teachers were interviewed using the triangulation method. This article makes a case for advocacy and mobilization of the community for successful implementation of educational policies. Even well-intended policies might not achieve success if the target community is not convinced of the positive outcomes of the policy recommendations. The findings of the study reveal that though the teachers were overtly supportive of the use of Rabha in the classroom, they displayed subtle resistance toward its use due to the widespread misconception that if education is not imparted in more mainstream languages, students will lose important educational and employment opportunities. The authors make recommendations for carrying out proper advocacy and mobilization drives in order to create awareness about the advantages of mother tongue-based multilingual education.