English School Research Articles

Exploring Bilingual Dynamics

This paper delves into the perspectives of students regarding the integration of bilingualism in Islamic Studies (IS) classrooms across English and Arabic medium international schools in Malaysia. Through the analysis of six focus group interviews, themes emerged elucidating the importance and benefits of utilizing both English and Arabic languages in IS education. Participants emphasized the significance of bilingualism for enhanced comprehension, communication, and engagement in IS learning. The findings underscore the necessity of incorporating both languages to cater to the diverse linguistic backgrounds of students and to facilitate a deeper understanding of Islamic teachings.

STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION ON USING VIDEO STREAMING PLATFORM TO ENHANCE LISTENING SKILLS

This study investigates the influence of video streaming platforms on effective listening proficiency among English teachers and secondary school students in SMKA Tun Ahmadshah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The research utilized a qualitative approach, interviewing 5 experienced English teachers and five students from Form 3 to Form 5. Among the reasons, the integration of modern technological tools was provided in the school. The theories of cognitivism and content-based learning (CBL) within the book are employed. The research focuses on these theories to explore cognitive and instructional merits of using video streaming platforms. Based on the findings, the content of video streaming platforms significantly sustains students’ engagement and motivation. At the same time, teachers comment on the content being interesting, relevant, and in multimedia format. It combines visual and auditory sense for their engagement. Among the challenges for the students was that they rely on subtitles on the video. The issue of buffering was not mentioned by the students, but it is likely to reduce their engagement. Teachers suggested that the platform content is authentic similar to that on social media, and students can receive other messages beside the expected ones. For effective teaching, the use of some features could be of help considering that buffering poses a major challenge, and some students rely on subtitles. Nevertheless, they could make the process simpler and with motivation by their utilization on the students’ part. The medium is significantly used in distance learning where it is effective since students rely on the authentic content and are engaged. Thus, the platform should be used for effective proficiency in listening with assistance from its video features. They require the employing of the platform features and adequate motivation from the participants. Keyword(s): Listening Skills, Content Based Learning (CBL), Video Streaming Platform, Cognitivism.

Thirty-five years of feminism and family law in the legal academy

ABSTRACT This chapter is in two parts, each of which reflects upon the developments and current state of family law scholarship and feminist teaching in universities in England and Wales. Piper focuses on the enormous body of research and writing that Felicity Kaganas achieved in over 35 years of research in family law. It outlines the publications that she and Kaganas wrote together and highlights Kaganas’ other significant work. It reflects upon the impact of this work for students, academic colleagues and policy-makers and concludes that many of the same issues Kaganas addressed over the years remain current. Auchmuty, on the other hand, reflects upon 35 years of feminism in the classroom. Both Auchmuty and Kaganas started teaching in English law schools in the 1980s when the job was very different. Since that time, law teaching has become an increasingly feminised profession, with feminist teachers occupying some of the highest positions, and feminist legal research has flourished. In spite of these two profound shifts, the law degree has remained virtually unchanged, especially in respect of the ‘core curriculum’. These reflections consider why this is so, focusing on mechanisms of patriarchal containment and backlash, and considers what can be done about it.

Language teacher emotional intelligence: A scoping review

The current study reviewed and synthesized empirical research on foreign/second language teacher emotional intelligence (EI) using a scoping review approach. Specifically, 15 articles published between 2018 and 2024 were included and analyzed with a particular emphasis on the theoretical perspectives, research themes, research background, and methodologies. The results indicated that there were a variety of models and theories in language teacher EI research, with the trait EI model and theories of self-efficacy and emotion regulation receiving the most attention. Moreover, most reviewed studies regarded language teacher EI as an independent variable or antecedent, examining its impact on other individual and environmental variables. Underdeveloped regions, other target languages apart from English, multilingual teachers, and primary or secondary school teachers haven’t received much attention in the included articles. Additionally, homogenization in research design among these studies was noticeable, with quantitative studies, cross-sectional design, and self-reported questionnaires being prevalent. Finally, implications were provided based on these findings for the further development of language teacher EI.

Green career education and guidance through the perceptions and experiences of career practitioners in English secondary schools.

The transition to a low carbon economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and nature restoration are expected to lead to a transformation of economic sectors. This will require a growth in green skills, a receptiveness to green roles and an understanding of the potential greening of all sectors. Plant suggests that green career education and guidance could provide the bridge between the emerging greener labour market and career development in schools. This article presents inductive qualitative research, using semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to explore the perceptions of career practitioners in English secondary schools revealing a broad spectrum of understanding and approach. A nascent green career education and guidance framework has emerged from a synthesis of existing literature and the research findings.

Whose children are they? Using Kymlicka on multiculturalism to evaluate rights and freedom in Christian home education

ABSTRACT This paper considers the so far unresearched position of Christian home education in England and, specifically, the implications of the proposed English Schools Bill (2022) for this minority religious group. We consider the case for external protection of their practices, as well as charges of internal restriction within the context of largely unregulated home education. Quantitative and qualitative survey data from 462 Christian home educators is analysed to elucidate the minority positioning of the group before considering whether sufficient opportunities exist within the proffered education to proselytise, question and reject the faith if desired. We conclude that Christian home educators in the UK constitute a minority group in need of political recognition to continue in the educational aspects of their faith. We also conclude that whilst, in this data set, internal restrictions are not evident, Christian home education is not homogenous. We argue that opportunities for heresy and apostasy need to be clearly open to children being educated at home for religious reasons but argue that further research and a theoretical framing of ongoing public debate, rather than recourse to law, constitute a way forward more likely to protect pluralism and minority freedoms.

Order and justice in ontological security studies

Order is a seemingly key concept in ontological security (OS). Yet work on “order” found in International Relations (IR) is often only treated tangentially (via anxiety, insecurity, and other more central referents) in ontological security studies (OSS). This article seeks to move the literature within OSS forward by taking on the challenge of acknowledging and speaking to its politics, and its ethics by centralizing the importance of order as a value. The article confronts criticisms against, and challenges of, OS by revisiting the pluralist versus solidarist debates in the “English School” of IR regarding order and justice. It then reads through recent work in OSS with these insights, examining the order versus justice tensions within several domains and topics in OSS. The article concludes that an ethics of OSS can confront and challenge inequalities and violence that follow from certain forms of order, and ordering, without concluding that one must resist all forms of order.

Translanguaging for learning in selected English First Additional Language secondary school classrooms

Background: The unequal learning outcomes and achievement gaps in language and literacy, particularly affecting poor and working-class children in South African schools, are longstanding issues. These disparities were highlighted once again in the poor literacy results of PIRLS 2021, indicating systemic challenges within the education system.Objectives: This article emanates from a Languaging-for-Learning (L4L) project, which holistically used approaches to integrate isiXhosa home language and English to validate and engage with the learners’ linguistic repertoires to open more opportunities to learn and read multilingually.Method: The research was conducted in two Western Cape township high schools with bilingual isiXhosa and English-speaking teachers and emergent bilingual learners. Five Grade 9 teachers’ English First Additional Language (EFAL) lessons were observed and recorded in 2023. The case study focused on shifts in teachers’ take-up of translanguaging strategies in EFAL lessons and their effective pedagogical use, especially in written form.Results: The findings revealed that bilingual teachers creatively incorporated teaching practices that allowed learners to transition between languages while learning EFAL. The study further indicates that bilingual education has the potential to be a valuable pedagogical strategy in contexts where exclusive use of English impedes effective learning.Conclusion: Yet again, the findings of this study accentuate the importance of incorporating and utilising learners’ home languages into the education process. A bilingual or multilingual pedagogical approach not only enriches the learning experiences but also acknowledges the linguistic diversity within the classroom, thereby making way for more effective and inclusive education practices.Contribution: This study contributes to the understanding of how a bilingual or multilingual teacher intervention can impact English teachers’ classroom practices positively. It emphasises the importance of recognising and embracing the language resources that learners bring to the classroom, highlighting the value of a bilingual pedagogical approach in promoting effective learning outcomes.

EXCAVATIONS IN THE ANCIENT THEATRE OF SPARTA, 2008

This article presents the results of the 2008 excavation in the ancient theatre of Sparta conducted by the British School at Athens and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia. Focused on the west side of the cavea, work aimed to locate the southern edge of the Late Antique settlement between the theatre and the sanctuary of Athena Chalkioikos; to establish the northern limits of the Late Antique settlement over the former orchestra; and to establish a more precise ceramic characterisation and chronology for the Early–Middle Byzantine period in Sparta. The area between settlement clusters on the acropolis and over the former orchestra was essentially open, with just a Byzantine terrace wall and path recorded. In the north-west part of the former cavea, a tomb built in the late eighth or early ninth century AD was used at least until the late thirteenth century for the burial of c. 29 individuals. This article presents the first results of a bioarchaeological study of the human remains, and studies of Byzantine pottery from the tomb interior and from the backfill of the pit in which the tomb was built (the latter including a notable quantity of Early Byzantine domestic ware). The 2008 findings are set in the larger context of research on post-antique phases in the theatre (drawing on the British School at Athens Archive) and on the material culture and urban topography of Byzantine Sparta. Almost all excavated contexts contained residual material of all periods. The article concludes with short catalogues of material which pre-dates the construction of the theatre and of inscriptions of all periods.

(Dis)empowering native speakers? Teachers’ perceptions in Malta

Abstract The article explores the perceptions of English language teachers in Malta with respect to native English-speaking teachers. It discusses the results of a small-scale study involving interviews with teachers working in a boutique English language school. Although the participants acknowledge English’s global significance, the idea of NS supremacy persists. Malta’s colonial heritage reinforces the authority belonging to the NS and influences teachers’ perceptions, with those participants hailing from former colonies struggling with how the NS/NNS dichotomy affected their self-perception. The study discusses the enduring power of the standard varieties possessing prestige, and how British colonialism still impacts teachers’ perceptions. It emphasizes the duty to oppose native-speakerism and promote teachers’ cultural diversity. Finally, the article underscores the necessity for further teacher professional development tailored to the changing Maltese multilingual context amid English’s transformation from the language of power to a lingua franca.

Unveiling English school leaders’ intentional well-being cultivation practices during a global pandemic

Unveiling English school leaders’ intentional well-being cultivation practices during a global pandemic

National school food standards in England: a cross-sectional study to explore compliance in secondary schools and impact on pupil nutritional intake.

Many countries have introduced school food standards to improve the dietary intakes of school-aged children. England has school food standards (SFS) legislation in place but little is known about how well secondary schools comply with this. We aimed to assess compliance with the SFS legislation in English secondary schools and explore the impact of the SFS on pupils' nutritional intake. We conducted a cross-sectional study with English secondary schools from 2019 to 2022. We compared SFS compliance and pupil nutritional intake in schools mandated or not mandated to comply with the SFS legislation, and explored the association between school compliance and pupil nutritional intake. We assessed the percentage of SFS (%SFS) complied with by reviewing school food menus and observing food served in school canteens. We assessed pupil nutritional intake using a 24-hour dietary recall measure (Intake24) and estimated intakes of free sugar (primary outcome) and other nutrients/foods. We used adjusted multilevel models to compare pupil intakes in the SFS-mandated and SFS-non-mandated schools, and to explore the association between school SFS compliance and pupil intakes. 36 schools (23 not mandated and 13 mandated to comply with the SFS) and 2,273 pupils participated. The median %SFS complied with was 63.9% (interquartile range 60.0-70.0%). This was similar for SFS-non-mandated (64.5%) and SFS-mandated schools (63.3%). Compliance was highest for standards applying to lunchtime (median = 81.3%) and lowest for those applying across the whole school day (median = 41.7%). It was also lower for standards restricting high fat, sugar and energy-dense items (median = 26.1%) than for standards aiming to increase dietary variety (median = 92.3%). Pupils from SFS-mandated schools had a lower mean lunchtime intake of free sugar (g) (adjusted mean difference: -2.78g; 95% CI: -4.66g to -0.90g). There were few significant associations between %SFS complied with and pupil nutritional intake. English secondary schools do not fully comply with SFS legislation regardless of whether they are mandated to comply. Schools and caterers may require monitoring and support to fully comply. There is little evidence that SFS compliance is associated with better pupil nutritional intake. Food environments outside of school also need to be considered. ISRCTN68757496 (17-10-2019).

Theorising Relationships and Sex Education (rse) as a Children’s Rights Issue Using A Foucauldian Lens

Abstract This article seeks to analyse the problems with provision of Relationships and Sex Education (rse) in English schools using a Foucauldian perspective. Through this analysis, I demonstrate that the rse curriculum is used as a tool for “governing” or controlling children’s exercise of their sexuality to ensure conformity with norms, behaviours and attitudes that adults perceive children should ascribe to. However, adults tend to deny children’s developing agency and their autonomy to make decisions in relation to their sexual lives. This ignores the realities of children’s lives, in which they are exposed to sexual knowledge and information through their interactions with others, or via the internet. Using Foucault’s conceptualisation of bio-power, I argue for shifting some of the power around rse discourses from adults to children themselves, through a children’s rights-based approach. This approach to rse will ensure that the curriculum is adequate, appropriate and effective for children.

Overnutrition among the School Students in Dhaka City: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: The study focuses on childhood obesity and its rise due to fast food and reduced physical activity.Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the nutritional assessment, knowledge, attitude and practice of English medium School students aged 11-15 years in Dhaka city. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 280 school students with anthropometric measurement and using a semi-structured questionnaire with the permission of the student’s guardian/s. Results: The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity in this study found 51.43% where 11.43% were obese and 40.0% were overweight. The students have eaten pizza, burger and pastry according to 20%, 28% and 15% respectively at their tiffin time. About 68% respondents have not played any outdoor games (only computer games regularly). 61% normal BMI students did physical activity regularly and 91% risk BMI respondents didn’t physical activity regularly. The energy intake in last 24 hours of respondents according to their BMI also is statistically significant (p<0.01); the average energy intake of 49% male of normal BMI respondent was about 1576 kJ and the average energy intake of 48% female of normal BMI respondent was about 1455 kJ. On the other hand, the average energy intake of 51% male of risk BMI respondent was about 1819 kJ and the average energy intake of 52% female of risk BMI respondent was about 1707 kJ. Conclusion: Overweight/obesity is a public-health concern among English medium school students, especially in high-income group in Dhaka. From the key finding of the current study, awareness program regarding overweight or obesity along with prevention measures were particularly focus on the English medium school students from their school as well as their family. Keywords: Obesity, Overweight, BMI, Energy Intake, Food consumption, Nutritional value.

‘Pirates’, ports, politics: The Gulf (khalīj) & international society’s expansion

Abstract This paper examines how Britain, through ‘gunboat diplomacy’ campaigns against so-called Arab pirates, overran the pre-existing Gulf suzerain system and became the predominant power in its waters. By filling a gap in the classical English School ‘international society’ expansion thesis, this article describes how and when political and ideational shifts in the Gulf allowed sovereignty to manifest into its present dynastic form. It argues British imposition of rules, norms, and institutions through a series of nineteenth-century Anglo-Arab treaties against Arab ‘pirates’ broke traditional conditions of divisible sheikhly authority to embed a new telos of sovereign indivisibility, facilitating indirect colonisation. Colonialism as an overlooked primary institution in the classical international society expansion story reinforced political inequality to create dynasticism to simplify colonial statecraft. The 1836 Restrictive Line was a central institution introduced by Britain to manage the transition from divisible to indivisible authority. Drawing from colonial archives, the paper argues that British control over cross-coastal movements through a Restrictive Line reinforced domestic sovereignty of British treaty signatories while weakening agency of maritime sheikhs outside the Anglo-Arab treaties framework. This unsettled traditional structures, transforming maritime tribal confederacies from participation to compliance and reconfiguring Gulf coastal security imperatives for treaty-signatory sheikhs from sea to desert.

How might a mastery style of teaching in mathematics lead to deeper understanding and sustained levels of attainment?

ABSTRACT The ‘mastery’ approach for the teaching of mathematics in primary schools has been advocated by the UK government stating it will develop deeper understanding and sustained learning for pupils. The approach, emulated from countries that have scored highly in international testing, has seen varied implementation in England. This research aims to compare the understanding of the mastery approach and its implementation in two English primary schools to the approach to teaching mathematics in Shanghai. The findings suggest that the implementation must be supported by relevant and ongoing training in both subject and pedagogical knowledge in mathematics for all practitioners.

Black excellence: the affective experiences of Black working-class young people in an English secondary school

ABSTRACT Affect and habitus are used in the paper to harness the intermingling of race and class in the young people’s everyday identity practices at school, as they aspire to embody ‘Black excellence’. This paper draws on ethnographic data collected with working-class Black-British young people aged between 16 and 18. Through the careful management of identity and reputation, the young people in this paper negotiate affective struggles to attain and secure a high academic status within a deeply neoliberalised school context. The paper argues that the identity discourse of ‘Black excellence’ connects dimensions of class and race in the young people’s identity work. Black excellence is described as classed and racialised reflexivity which helped the young people pivot their identity as they sought to maximise their educational opportunities to transition into elite universities.

The Integration of Storyboard into GBA : Observing Students' Engagement of Junior High School in Writing Recount Text

ABSTRACT Genre-based pedagogy has been a controversial subject since John Swales introduced it to the field of English for Specific Purposes in the 1980s. GBA was included in English lessons in Indonesia. Even though the curriculum changed from KTSP to K-13, this genre remains the basis for teaching English in schools. However, ESL/EFL teachers are often unfamiliar with this practical teaching approach even though GBA is becoming increasingly popular in writing classes. Due to the teacher’s unfamiliarity with GBA, students can not feel the benefits of GBA. Many students have difficulty writing, especially writing recount text. In order for the students to get the advantage of GBA in writing, teachers must use methods such as Combined Text Construction, a stage in the genre-based approach. The Joint Construction stage is the main focus of this research. Certainly, in order for the Joint construction of the text stage can be carried out well, it is necessary to have a media that can be integrated into the JCoT stage. In this study, the researcher suggests an alternative that can be used as a solution to this problem. An alternative is to integrate storyboards into the GBA (JCoT) method in learning writing recount text. The research aims to describe in what ways students can be engaged in writing recount texts using storyboards as a learning media. The research method used is a case study approach with observation and interviews as data collection techniques. Findings from video observation and interview transcripts display students' interest and confidence in emotional engagement, students' contributions in behavioral engagement, and students' understanding in cognitive engagement. Thus, storyboards positively contribute to students' ability to write recount texts in the context of the genre-based approach.

An Insight into developmental changes in reasoning skills among Indian Preschoolers: A cross-sectional study using a story-based approach

Background: Considering the importance of exploring the development of reasoning skills during preschool period and the suitability of using a culturally linguistically relevant story-based approach for the same, the present research intended to profile the reasoning skills in typically developing Indian preschool children between 36 and 72 months using a story-based approach. The specific objectives were to develop explanation, prediction, and inference based reasoning tasks around a story and assess the reasoning skills in typically developing Indian preschool children using the same. Method: Reasoning tasks across explanation, prediction, and inference domains were developed based on a story and evaluated for its psychometric properties. The developed tasks were then administered to 63 typically developing Indian preschool children attending English medium schools in Mangalore. The preschoolers were equally divided into three age groups, and the responses obtained across the age groups were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results: The developed tasks were confirmed to have good psychometric properties like content validity and reliability. The age comparisons of reasoning abilities using one-way ANOVA suggested an increase in reasoning abilities with age during the preschool period. The qualitative analysis further suggested that with increasing age, the nature of reasoning changed from content-based reasoning to reasoning based on prior knowledge which was integrated with the story content. Conclusion: The study describes reasoning skill development using a story-based task in Indian preschoolers. The study findings further provide clinical and educational implications to assess and foster reasoning abilities among preschoolers.

Correction to “Understanding gender and sexuality: The hidden curriculum in English schools”

Correction to “Understanding gender and sexuality: The hidden curriculum in English schools”