Academic Language Development Research Articles

Design principles for post-PELA discipline-specific language programs

In this paper, we present and illustrate four principles used to develop discipline-specific academic language tutorials for students who enter university with low levels of academic language proficiency. The tutorials are part of a university-wide language support program following a post enrolment language assessment (PELA). The principles respond to recent arguments about the importance of post-PELA language support being integrated into the overall university curriculum, being directly relevant to students’ needs, and being discipline and context specific. Drawing on sociocultural theories of language learning, we outline each principle and then illustrate them with practical frameworks and activities used in academic language development tutorials at a university in Australia. We also provide a discipline-specific language development tutorial plan that incorporates all four principles. These principles will be of interest to practitioners both in English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) centres and in university language programs planning discipline-specific language development activities.

Investigating the Perceptions and Attitudes of ESL Learners Towards theUse of Immersive Reader Technology in Enhancing Reading Comprehension at the Secondary School Level

Introduction: This article delves into the utilization of Immersive Reader Technology (IRT) as a tool to enhance reading comprehension among ESL students in secondary schools. It examines students' perceptions and attitudes towards IRT and its significance in educational achievement and language learning. Methodology: The study employs various educational theories, including the Technological Acceptance Model, to analyze the effectiveness of IRT features such as text-to-speech and translation. A quantitative approach was undertaken, involving 20 male students from Ajmal Bagh Secondary School, Sadiqabad. Data collection utilized a questionnaire focused on TAM's constructs to gauge students' perceptions and attitudes towards IRT. Result/Findings: Findings reveal a positive perception and attitude towards IRT among the participants. They highlight its ease of use, effectiveness in enhancing reading comprehension, and overall benefits in vocabulary acquisition. The study concludes that IRT significantly improves the reading experience, promoting enjoyment and confidence among ESL learners, particularly in secondary schools. Implication/Future Direction: The study suggests several recommendations for further enhancing the effectiveness of IRT. These include interface improvements, feature expansion, increased customization options, and ongoing feedback and research. By addressing these areas, IRT can continue to serve as a valuable tool in improving reading comprehension among ESL students, contributing to their academic success and language development.

Exploring the implications of university campuses as intercultural spaces through the lens of social justice

The internationalisation of higher education presents an increasingly urgent need to explore how universities can become more welcoming places for all students. Top-down implementation of widening participation and the inclusion of a more diverse and less prepared student population in higher education have led to social and academic exclusion, with systems failing to accommodate this change to support the less prepared intakes. Academic and social/cultural drivers are the key areas for bottom-up implementation of internationalisation strategies to support this influx and change in student profile. However, institutionalised separation of home and international students for academic support and language development provision, and separation of this support from subject disciplines, have increased the obstacles that block inclusive practice. An internationalised campus involves both top-down institutionalised intervention and bottom-up intervention of the academic self, enabling the potential for intercultural construction within and between communities, and promoting agency of the self in connection with others to enact change. Viewing university campuses as intercultural spaces that all students and staff need to navigate and inhabit has implications that this article explores through the lens of social justice and from the bottom-up perspective of language development provision, within the field of English for Academic Purposes, in an arts-based university.

Academic Language Development and Linguistic Discrimination

Language use within Canadian postsecondary institutions reflects ongoing neocolonialism and the privileging of European and North American English varieties. This article shares student perspectives of interactions with faculty on themes of language development and linguistic discrimination, discovered in qualitative interviews using Appreciative Inquiry methodology. Participants’ stories reveal both appreciation for supportive practices that facilitate the development of academic language skills and frustration with linguistic discrimination. Practices valued by participants include using simple and clear language, creating a comfortable environment for non-native English speakers, honouring multilingualism, and providing supportive instruction in discipline-specific language. Students also identified experiences of linguistic discrimination that resulted in academic and personal harm. In students’ stories, a tension between encouraging academic language development while avoiding discriminatory practices emerges. Paths forward in navigating this tension while challenging colonial language hierarchies may include integrating pedagogies using an academic literacies framework while also creating space for translingual practices in classrooms and institutions.

Reflecting on embodied experience through an expert lens: drama as a pedagogic tool for developing academic language proficiency in the middle-primary school

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a major study which examined how middle-primary teachers (of students aged 8-10) in Australia used drama-rich pedagogy in their literacy programs to support the development of academic language proficiency, a critical element of ongoing student progress in literacy beyond the early years. Despite its proven status as a powerful literacy teaching strategy, drama-rich pedagogy remains underused by teachers. Key findings from a qualitative collective interventionist case study conducted in three schools in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia demonstrate that embodied and role-based experiences can work both individually and in combination to create supportive contexts for academic language development.

Role of Story Telling in the Development of the Child’s Lexical Richness: A Case Study

As soon as children enter school, they are expected to use a relatively new and unfamiliar language to display knowledge. Literature has demonstrated that children’s early exposure to academic language at home can have a huge impact on the development of their lexical richness. This study explores the extent to which lexical richness, including lexical density and diversity are present in the production of two mothers and their children from different social and educational backgrounds during an informal storytelling interaction. The study addresses two research questions related to (i) the degree of lexical richness of the mothers’ input and their children’s output and (ii) how a mother’s social and educational background can influence the child’s lexical richness. Data analysis revealed that the use of lexical features varied considerably among the two mothers and their children. Compared to the low social and educational background mother, the affluent and well-educated mother provided her child with far more varied and denser lexical input, besides the use of interactive literacy strategies which have proven to influence the child’s output at home. The findings unveiled a strong correlation between the children’s early exposure to academic lexical input through storytelling and their academic language development.

Raising Critical Language Awareness in a Translanguaging-Infused Teacher Education Course: Opportunities and Challenges

ABSTRACT In this classroom-based qualitative study, we examine how a small group of content area teacher candidates developed emerging critical language awareness (CLA) during one graduate-level translanguaging-infused teacher education course on multilingual theories and practices. The findings point out the potential of translanguaging in prompting spontaneous reflections on pre-service teachers’ personal experiences with language and languaging, paving way for them to critically rethink the status of English in teaching, learning, and communication for social justice. Yet, although teacher candidates demonstrated their emerging CLA as manifested at the ideological level, they encountered difficulties enacting critical translanguaging into practice. In their lesson plans, English was largely positioned as the end goal of content-area education and translanguaging was often reduced to a translation strategy to scaffold academic language development. Based on the findings, we propose suggestions for teacher education course design and advocate for program-wide efforts in sustaining and strengthening CLA across the curriculum.

LEARNING BY DOING: THE BENEFITS OF ADOPTING AN ONLINE NEGOTIATION SUPPORT SYSTEM INTO AN ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES COURSE

The paper reports on the benefits of imbedding an online negotiation support system (NSS) into the experiential learning framework of an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Proponents of experiential learning projects in the second/foreign language classroom emphasize the benefits of learning by doing. To test the claim, the performances of students in two advanced level EAP courses at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, were compared. One course was developed with the principles of content-based (CBI) instruction, with input primarily from academic texts; the other course also used content-based instruction but was enhanced by an experiential learning project for which the online negotiation system was adopted. Participation in the project provided a novel learning experience for second language learners at Carleton, with counterparts from universities in three additional countries (Austria, Poland, and Taiwan) also participating. A statistical analysis of student grades showed that the students in the EAP course enhanced by the experiential learning project obtained significantly higher grades on the final assignment in comparison to the students in the “traditional” CBI course.The paper also demonstrates that this teaching and training system enhances learning by promoting learner autonomy, critical thinking, and academic language development. Relevant aspects of the experiential learning project led to enhanced learning outcomes, supporting the claim that learning by doing benefits language acquisition. The paper proposes a new experiential learning model, applicable to ESP/EAP instruction, i.e., the sustained-content experiential learning model which can be applied to any project that emphasizes learning through direct experience. The model depicts the importance of sequencing academic content tasks that build on each other allowing learners to accumulate knowledge and language and prepare them to engage in a meaningful, authentic communication. It also illustrates the importance of using reflection as an effective learning tool that helps develop critical thinking and analysis, skills necessary for academic success.

Examining the predictive validity of the Duolingo English Test: Evidence from a major UK university

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the university admissions and proficiency testing landscape. One change has been the meteoric rise in use of the fully automated Duolingo English Test (DET) for university entrance purposes, offering test-takers a cheaper, shorter, accessible alternative. This rapid response study is the first to investigate the predictive value of DET test scores in relation to university students’ academic attainment, taking into account students’ degree level, academic discipline, and nationality. We also compared DET test-takers’ academic performance with that of students admitted using traditional proficiency tests. Credit-weighted first-year academic grades of 1881 DET test-takers (1389 postgraduate, 492 undergraduate) enrolled at a large, research-intensive London university in Autumn 2020 were positively associated with DET Overall scores for postgraduate students (adj. r = .195) but not undergraduate students (adj. r = −.112). This result was mirrored in correlational patterns for students admitted through IELTS ( n = 2651) and TOEFL iBT ( n = 436), contributing to criterion-related validity evidence. Students admitted with DET enjoyed lower academic success than the IELTS and TOEFL iBT test-takers, although sample characteristics may have shaped this finding. We discuss implications for establishing cut scores and harnessing test-takers’ academic language development through pre-sessional and in-sessional support.

Normal redefined: Exploring decontextualization of lorises (Nycticebus & Xanthonycticebus spp.) on social media platforms

IntroductionDecontextualization is a concept from psychology whereby new words are learned outside of the context of the here-and-now. Decontextualized language is used for discussing abstract concepts and is crucial to the development of academic language. When it comes to images, a dearth of context can lead to a lack of clarity, such as the use of ambiguous decontextualized images in environmental communication, leading to the promotion of greenwashing. Here we refer to decontextualization as the removal of wildlife from their wild ecological context. Images and videos of globally threatened species are increasingly popular on social media. Showing such taxa alongside humans may impact public perceptions of their abundance and need for conservation and can increase illegal trade. One group of animals that are particularly popular on social media platforms are the slow and pygmy lorises (Nycticebus spp., Xanthonycticebus spp.).MethodsHere, we examined 100 videos from three popular social media platforms (YouTube, TikTok, and Giphy) to calculate how often and in which ways these videos remove slow lorises from their natural ecological and behavioural context. We also examined views and likes to determine viewer engagement trends. We used relevant content from each site to assess the presence of decontextualization using five conditions.ResultsIn all but two videos, conditions of decontextualization were present and 77% of all videos had four to five conditions of decontextualization. Using Spearman correlation, we found a significant effect of decontextualization scores on the number of views and likes for YouTube and TikTok videos. Views were significantly higher when videos presented animals in anthropogenic settings (i.e., in human-made structures or in proximity of human artefacts). Additionally, views on TikTok and YouTube were significantly higher when animals displayed signs of stress or ill health and when they were in unnatural conditions.DiscussionOur case study of lorises provides an example of the danger of decontextualizing wild animals on social media. Public preference for imagery where animals are neglected is indicative that better guidelines need to be put in place and policed by social media platforms. Additionally, conservationists need to develop strategies to promote wild imagery and further explore decontextualization if we are to understand and address the drivers of the rampant illegal wildlife trade online.

Pre-service teachers’ ability to identify academic language features: the role of language-related opportunities to learn, and professional beliefs about linguistically responsive teaching

In order to reduce language-related disparities in educational attainment, teaching standards in many (Western) countries nowadays request teachers of all subjects and grades to focus on their students’ academic language development: Especially second language learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students need continuous and systematic language support (linguistically responsive teaching) in order not to be left behind. To be able to act accordingly, (prospective) teachers need to acquire pedagogical language knowledge and develop positive beliefs about linguistically responsive teaching practices. Our cross-sectional survey among German pre-service teachers (n = 115) shows that – despite positive beliefs towards linguistically responsive teaching – hardly any of the participants had acquired a solid knowledge base in the area of educational linguistics: The majority could not identify a substantial amount of academic language features (known to be challenging especially for second language learners) in a content-specific explanatory text. This ability, however, is the basis for planning and carrying out linguistically responsive lessons. Although latent profile analyses show differences among the participants, many of them did not have opportunities to learn in the area of linguistic diversity during their studies. The results give rise to the question whether and how pedagogical language knowledge could become compulsory in teacher training.

Our results of the school-age hearing screening program

Objectives: This study evaluated the results of the hearing screening program in school-age children in our region and their etiologies. Patients and Methods: The school-age hearing screening audiometry results of 6,073 first-year primary school students (2,915 males, 3,158 females; mean age: 75.6±3.9 years; range, 66 to 84 years) performed between January 2019 and March 2020 were retrospectively scanned from the Ministry of Health National Hearing Screening Program database. The data of children who were referred due to hearing screening failure or risk factors were also scanned and included in the study. Results: One hundred eighty-three (3%) of the 6,073 first-year students who underwent screening audiometry were referred to an otolaryngologist due to failing the test or risk factors. Of the 183 referred children, 74 (40.5%) had impacted cerumen, and 48 (26.5%) had otitis media with effusion. Control audiometry tests of 61 (33%) children were normal. No statistically significant difference was observed in referral rates between the sexes. The hearing loss type was conductive hearing loss in all children with hearing loss. Conclusion: Although impacted cerumen is an easily preventable cause, it negatively affects academic performance, speech, and language development when left untreated. The high incidence of preventable and treatable hearing loss in preschool and school-age children and, although not observed in our study, the prevalence of acquired sensorineural hearing loss in these age groups shows the importance of hearing screening programs and the need for widespread use.

A multi-faceted evaluation of the impact on students of an Australian university-wide academic language development program

In response to the ongoing need to support all students’ academic language development throughout their university studies, the academic language and learning team at an Australian university has established the Academic Language Development (ALD) program. This program screens all commencing students at the university and offers an innovative whole-of-institution approach to discipline-specific language development. The purpose of this paper is to report on a large-scale, long-term and multi-faceted evaluation of the ALD program, considering the impact of attending compulsory language development tutorials on 3922 students, the majority of whom were L2 users of English. Surveys have been carried out and data collected on academic language development, academic outcomes, student perceptions of their confidence, and other gains from attending the tutorials. A particular focus of this analysis is on the affective aspects of language development. In addition to developing academic language proficiency, the findings show that students benefited in multiple ways from the ALD program. Key themes emerged from the data around confidence, agency, and social connections, as well as a greater ability to navigate the university landscape. This paper offers an innovative approach to the evaluation of language programs that will be relevant to those teaching and researching linguistically diverse cohorts across faculties in higher education.

Developing Academic Spanish in Bilingual Teacher Candidates

Policy makers and education researchers emphasize the need for English learners to develop academic language in order to improve school achievement. However, little work has been done to understand how academic language, conceptualized in English-only environments, is pedagogically relevant for prospective bilingual teachers who have experienced subtractive schooling (Valenzuela, 1996). This article presents a critical interpretive review of studies that explore Spanish development in bilingual teacher candidates who are Heritage Spanish Speakers (HSS). Our analysis of 36 studies found two main obstacles and three types of solutions towards Spanish development in bilingual teacher preparation programs. Obstacles coalesced around structural and ideological dimensions. Solutions pointed to three pathways for Spanish academic language development: content-based instruction, sociolinguistic approaches, and socio-symbolic transformations. Of the 36 articles, 20 aligned with solutions and 16 with obstacles. Our conclusions point to linguistic and cultural factors specific to Spanish-speaking communities in the United States that deserve more careful attention as part of policy-driven pedagogical improvement efforts. Based on our findings, we discuss the ambivalent experiences impinging on bilingual teacher candidates who are HSS, the implications of prevailing decontextualized approaches, and the need to further theorize the construct of academic Spanish.

Supporting international graduate students’ academic language and literacies development through online and hybrid communities of practice

This paper reports on the implementation of online and hybrid communities of practice (CoPs) in an academic English course for international graduate students in a Canadian university. The study aimed to examine how participation in CoPs supported students in developing the academic language and literacies required in their programs. The research was informed by sociocultural theory and Scarcella's (2003) academic English framework. Each student self-identified an area of academic English they wished to develop, designed strategies to help them improve in that area, and carried out their strategies over three months. The 23 students were put into CoPs, and they collaborated with their CoP members to provide feedback and support to each other. The data for the study were artefacts shared by students online, including written posts, discussions, video and audio clips, images, links, and drafts of their work. Data from seven focal participants were analyzed deductively using codes generated inductively through a literature review. The results indicated that the CoPs developed students' academic language competencies, facilitated constructive feedback, affirmed students' diverse identities, and provided a supportive space for academic socialization. The study recommends the integration of CoPs into academic language support for international students.

Moving beyond ‘infancy’: towards a cross-fertilization between EMI and EAP scholarship

Abstract Growth in the provision of English medium instruction (EMI) has led to a significant increase in publications on EMI. Several publications claim that EMI is a young field that is still at the level of ‘infancy’ in areas such as language-related student support and teacher education. This raises the question why EMI appears not to draw on research and practices from English for academic purposes (EAP), a discipline with a longer history of enquiry into English-medium education. In this paper, we explore convergences between EMI and EAP in the areas of student support, collaboration between language teachers and subject teachers, and teacher education, and suggest some EAP theories and practices that EMI might usefully draw on. We conclude by stressing the need for cross-fertilization between EMI and EAP scholarship and for a joined research agenda that aims to produce more systematic empirical evidence of the benefits of discipline-specific academic language and literacy development.

The Effectiveness and Transferability of a Block-Mode Discipline-Specific Academic Language Development Program.

To address the demands from their courses, students with insufficient language proficiency who cannot attend the standard subject-specific academic language development program are directed to an alternative discipline-specific program – the Language Development Tutorial in Block mode, at the University of Technology Sydney. This practice report evaluates the effectiveness of the alternative program, and the transferability of disciplinary learnings to a subject and assessment level. The findings reveal that most students were satisfied with the program and agreed that it had helped to improve their confidence, discipline-specific language and literacy skills, subject content understanding, and ability to complete their assessments. Students who completed the program were also more likely to achieve higher subject results than those who did not attend/complete it. The findings reinforce the need to provide alternative discipline-specific support where subject-specific support is not viable. More in-depth investigation in future iterations will improve the program’s impact.

The politics and praxis of academic English: Toward antiracist language pedagogy

Academic English has drawn criticism for its hegemonic status, and its dominance and legitimization as an “appropriate” language variety within academic and mainstream discourse communities have been problematized for stigmatizing home languages and dialects of multilingual and multidialectal students. However, students' proficiency in academic language is cited as one of the critical factors affecting their academic success (Francis, Rivera, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Rivera, 2006); therefore, instructional support for multilingual and multidialectal students' academic language development has been crucial to the educational agenda. The debate surrounding the politics of academic English and of the instructional practices geared toward developing multilingual and multidialectal students' academic English proficiency has important pedagogical implications. Seeing value in the propositions on both sides of the debate, the authors of this article reflect on the implications of these propositions in classroom practice and seek ways to support multilingual students in their effort to develop their academic English proficiency without stigmatizing and suppressing their home language and dialect. The authors propose an integrated framework for antiracist language pedagogy that builds on critical inquiry, inclusive teaching, and a multiliteracies approach to academic language and literacy development.

Maker Activities and Academic Writing in a Middle School Science Class

Academic language is an important focus area in middle school. However, academic writing in science classes is challenging for middle school students. Maker activities can contribute to students’ academic language development through artifact creation with tangible resources (Own, 2018). This makerspace and academic writing project, codesigned by a science teacher and a technology integration specialist, invited middle school science students to work on academic writing through maker activities.

Instruction to Engage Multilingual Learners with Grade‐level Content

AbstractIn this article we identify ways to scaffold content‐specific instruction to support your multilingual learners’ academic language development. With the definition that academic language compromises of vocabulary, linguistic functions, and syntax, we share ways to integrate three instructional practices across your instruction. These practices include: 1) explicit instruction of key academic language, 2) the use of visuals to anchor grade‐level instruction, and 3) frequent opportunities for content‐based oral and written language practice.