English School Research Articles

‘Sir, if I let you blow me, will you not put a behaviour point on?’ The working-class, gay teacher and the limits of neoliberal inclusion

This study examines social-class and sexuality in the context of being a teacher in a secondary school in England. It is pertinent as some levels of LGBT inclusion, are currently expected in English schools, however this varies within and across schools. This study explores the case of a single, gay, man from a working-class background, in relation to the homophobia and harassment he routinely experiences as a teacher, as well as the (in)active response of his institution. Findings suggest that the school is (re)produced as hostile for the gay teacher, through a combination of discourses where gay is positioned as subordinate by the students, and where gay is sublimated by the school and staff. Moreover, despite the teacher’s resilience, these problems are enhanced by the current individualized model of neoliberal inclusion, which may not be inclusive of all LGB people.

Sexist textbooks: Automated analysis of gender bias in 1,255 books from 34 countries.

Textbooks play a critical role in schooling around the world. Small sample studies show that many books continue to under-represent women and girls, and to portray men and women in stereotypical gendered roles. In this paper, we use quantitative text analysis to assess the degree of gender bias in a newly assembled corpus of 1,255 English language school textbooks from 34 countries that are publicly available online. We find consistent patterns of under-representation of female characters and portrayal of stereotypical gendered roles. Women and girls appear less frequently, are portrayed as more passive, are less likely to be associated with work or achievement, and are more likely to be associated with the home and traditionally female occupations. Comparing across countries, female representation in books is correlated with higher GDP and more legal rights for women. Under-representation and stereotypes are a particular problem in South Asia.

Privilege and prejudice in private online English teaching: Discourses in school-owned recruitment websites

Abstract Numerous studies have analyzed various aspects of English language teaching to uncover discriminatory employment practices within the field. However, there is a gap in the research regarding the discourses present in school-managed teacher recruitment websites (TRWs), particularly in the field of private online language education (POLE). This study aims to address this gap by investigating how the preferred online English teacher is characterized and what benefits they are promised when visiting these webpages. Using critical discourse analysis, the author analyzed the textual elements of 32 TRWs of online English schools operating in six major markets in Asia. The findings reveal that although a few schools show signs of relatively fair policies and emphasize professional qualifications, most of them appear to exploit native-speakerism through their application requirements and compensation policies that often favor only some groups. The implications emphasize the benefits of creating equitable employment opportunities and professionalizing POLE by leveraging the qualifications and experience of teachers from diverse backgrounds, while ensuring fair compensation. Finally, this study provides practical strategies for present and prospective online teachers on how to take advantage of the opportunities of digital language work while contributing to the attainment of equity in the industry.

A focus on quality of teaching in schools increases students’ progress of attainment. Evidence from English secondary schools

ABSTRACT This article investigates the relationship between school-level factors associated with school quality and progress in student attainment in English secondary schools. Furthermore, it examines the relationship between frequency of classroom observation of teaching (by school leaders or by fellow teachers) in English secondary schools and progress in student attainment. It details findings of a quantitative phase of analysis within a broader mixed-methods study with the purpose of informing best practice in school development in Austria. Results suggest that students attending schools in which leaders and teachers perceive a greater emphasis on policy concerning quality of teaching tend to achieve greater progression in attainment relative to peers. Whilst frequency of classroom observation by leadership staff does not appear to be associated with progress in student attainment, students attending schools in which classroom observation is undertaken by fellow teachers with greater frequency tend to achieve greater progress in attainment relative to peers.

The role of oral language in the dialogic primary classroom

ABSTRACT This article takes stock of the current trends in research, policy and practice regarding the role of language in the dialogic classroom. The article uses the policies of two different educational jurisdictions as counterpoints to highlight the different ways that oral language can be positioned within primary curricula. It reflects on current and recent research literature, exploring how language can promote the collaborative learning that is central to dialogic pedagogy, highlighting the value of less formal registers or less ‘certainty’ in the proposal of ideas. The article then offers a linguistic-ethnographic analysis of what this looks like in practice, drawing on classroom observational data gathered in English primary schools. Finally, these three strands of theory, policy and practice are brought together, scoping ways forward for the inclusion of language and dialogue in primary education.

A Global approach for English Conversation Schools in Japan: Suggestions for Incorporating Global Englishes and Intercultural Learning into Listening Materials

While efforts to be more global have been implemented in various English teaching contexts in Japan, the eikaiwa industry seems the least likely place for change to take place. This is because native-speakerism remains a major selling point for many English conversation schools in Japan, causing concern that learners are not being adequately prepared to use English for global communication. Therefore, this paper looks at key concepts from Global Englishes and draws on particular aspects of intercultural learning, before making two suggestions about how these concepts can be incorporated. One suggestion, which is top-down from management, is updating the in-house textbooks. The other suggestion, which is bottom-up from teachers, is creating their own materials that use authentic listening from the internet. While it is acknowledged that change may be unlikely to come from management anytime soon, it is felt that teachers should lead the way by making their own materials and sharing them amongst the eikaiwa community.

Charlotte R. Potts: Architecture in Ancient Central Italy: Connections in Etruscan and Early Roman Building (British School at Rome Studies)

Charlotte R. Potts: <i>Architecture in Ancient Central Italy: Connections in Etruscan and Early Roman Building</i> (British School at Rome Studies)

Professional Development Activities of Lecturers: An Action Research

This action research was designed to examine the professional development program (PDP) of lecturers and the effects of the program’s processes on educational administrators and lecturers. The study involved 2 administrators and 10 lecturers from an English preparatory school at a private university in Istanbul. During the program, to gather insights into the achievements, challenges, and suggestions related to the program, semi-structured one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with administrators and lecturers, alongside the use of reflective journals and observation forms. Content analysis was employed to analyze the data. Education administrators believe that the PDP enhanced internal communication within the organization, provided insights into organizational functioning, fostered the adoption of student-centered teaching methods, and contributed to the personal development of lecturers through self-criticism and increased self-confidence. Lecturers highlighted benefits such as experience sharing, critical thinking enhancement, student-centered teaching integration, and improved teaching skills. Time management is a common challenge for both administrators and lecturers, with the added concern among lecturers about being perceived as ineffective by students during teaching observations. In light of the findings, it is recommended to tailor activities to lecturers’ needs, offer a flexible program structure, and provide support mechanisms to help lecturers cope. Future research might involve larger samples and explore emotional states and challenges independently.

The Impact of Extensive Listening on Listening Anxiety, Listening Skills and Attitude towards English Courses

This study aimed to explore the effects of extensive listening (EL) to podcasts on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ listening anxiety, listening proficiency and attitudes towards English school lessons. Two intact classes with a total of 45 female tenth graders were assigned as the experimental and control groups of the study. At the outset of the study, the participants’ level of listening competence was measured through the Key English Test (KET) developed by Cambridge University. The “Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale” (FLLAS) and the “Scale of Attitudes towards English Courses” (SATEC) were administered subsequently to both groups. The experimental group received the treatment including 15 podcasts for EL practice. All the quantitative measurements were repeated after the treatment. Quantitative data was triangulated through semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of 10 students. The results demonstrated that the students in the experimental group significantly improved their listening comprehension skills. The treatment reduced students’ listening anxiety while the reverse was true for the students in the control group receiving traditional second/foreign language (L2) instruction only. The findings of the study encourage L2 teachers to consider authentic input, namely podcasts, as a source of reducing students’ listening anxiety and improving listening proficiency. The fact that students’ attitudes remained stable in both groups provides guidance for future research.

Assessing access: Texting hotline app provides mental health crisis care for economically deprived youth

BackgroundDue to rapidly increasing youth suicides in the U.S state of Utah, the legislature funded creation of a 24/7 texting-based smartphone app in Spanish and English targeting Utah's school aged population. Recent research elsewhere (in the Netherlands) suggests cost inhibits help seeking among the economically disadvantaged. We evaluate the relationship between poverty and app usage during the onset of the COVID-19. MethodLocal demographics, social determinants of health and COVID-19 infection rates were modeled using a Bayesian spatio-temporal approach examining usage rates. ResultsWhen controlling for generally researched suicide crisis covariates, app usage is shown to vary depending on economic status of the population, with the largest relative increases in use among disadvantaged youth. DiscussionThis bilingual Spanish/English, texting (SMS) based, smart phone app crisis hotline proved effective at providing adolescents from certain populations access to mental health care. The groups discussed are in Census Block Groups (CBGs – neighborhoods) with higher poverty, and/or lower population density (rural areas). The usage of the crisis hotline by these populations increased relative to the overall population as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. However, adolescents from areas of higher mobility (our proxy for housing insecure) and those in areas with larger non-White populations had a relative decrease in usage.

Integrating the plate tectonic and rock genesis systems for secondary school students

This paper describes how plate tectonics and rock genesis, two topics that are typically addressed separately in secondary Earth science classes, can be taught together as an integrated system. We define the TecRocks Reasoning Framework, developed to support student reasoning about rock formation situated in the context of plate tectonics. We also explain how we leveraged the framework in the designs of a new curriculum, interactive computer simulation, and assessment instrument. We show how the instrument was used to evaluate the curriculum, which included the computer simulation. We analyzed pretest and post-test data of 319 students taught by 10 teachers in diverse middle and high schools in the United States. Our analysis allowed us to discern different levels of reasoning in student explanations. On average, students made a significant pretest to post-test gain (p < .001) with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.03) after using the curriculum. All student groups made significant gains regardless of their gender, English language status, race, or school level. However, the amount of gain significantly differed by school level, p < .001. The middle school students as a group made a larger pretest to post-test gain (d = 1.42) than the high school students (d = 0.66).

Enhancing public dialogue about inclusion in school education: a citizens’ panel pilot

IntroductionThis paper reports on a small-scale Citizens’ Panel pilot project using deliberative democratic methods to produce policy ideas about inclusion in school education of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEN/D) in England. The project had two aims: (i) to obtain information about modifying a Citizens’ Panel process to enhance the effective participation of young people with SEN/D; and (ii) to generate more nuanced, grounded and integrated policy ideas about inclusion than can be found in recent English school education policy.MethodsThe Citizens’ Panel was a two phase deliberative process. Phase 1 involved working with six young people with SEN/D and their parents/carers to shape the Citizens’ Panel agenda, and to obtain information about how they could participate and communicate their perspectives during the events. Phase 2 involved the delivery of the Citizens’ Panel itself, which comprised 28 people: the six young people from phase 1, plus four young people without SEN/D, 13 parents/carers, and five education professionals.ResultsThe process evaluation revealed the need for and impact of meticulous planning using a differentiated and strengths-based approach to design. While participants reported that taking part in the Citizens’ Panel was overall, a positive and worthwhile experience, the differentiated approach involved trade-offs that affected the experiences of some participants without SEN/D, though not detrimentally. The panel produced distinctive ideas about more inclusive schools, where almost all of the themes were about general school changes for everyone. Most general themes involved some specific SEN/D aspects, with only one theme being SEN/D specific. This paper illustrates how these ideas are more nuanced, grounded and integrated than those in current national policy.DiscussionThis paper provides evidence of how deliberative approaches can be used within and between schools, groups of schools (e.g., multi academy trusts), local networks (including local authorities), as well as at the national level. Lessons drawn show how deliberative methods used by advocacy groups, protest movements and non-governmental organisations in support of more transformational change can be developed in ways that enable young people with SEN/D to participate and have their voices heard.

Adam Watson and international relations: a contemporary reassessment—introduction

AbstractThis is the introduction to the special issue 'Adam Watson and International Relations: A Contemporary Reassessment'. In this short piece, the guest editors outline the genesis, development, and purpose of the project, offer a rationale for the special issue, summarise the papers in it, and reflect on the importance of Adam Watson within the English School and International Relations canons.

What is non-formal learning (and how do we know it when we see it)? A pilot study report

In this paper we consider the issue of formality in learning. Both formal and informal learning appear to be well-defined in educational discourse, in contrast with non-formal learning which is less clearly articulated. This lack of clarity around non-formal learning has consequences for its recognition by teachers and learners. To contribute to the conceptualisation of non-formal learning we carried out a literature review that helped us to identify dimensions of learning formality. This framework allowed us to discriminate the ways in which non-formal learning differed or matched with aspects of formal or informal learning. It also suggested to us that formality is fluid, and that learning with different formalities might co-exist in some learning environments. We then used our framework to develop tools for capturing evidence of non-formal learning. We describe these tools and how we used them in a pilot study to explore the features of non-formal learning in a formal, Year 12 classroom learning context in an English school. We use our pilot study outcomes to reflect on the utility of our data gathering methods. We also use the study outcomes to update our non-formal learning framework.

Resisting research evidence-base deficits: a comprehensive analysis of a leading English association journal over a decade

ABSTRACT This paper considers the research evidence-base informing teaching practice and policy in subject English in schools. We explore the Australian Journal of English Education, the flagship research publication from the Australian Association of Teachers of English, at a time when an evidence-base is in high demand. Our aim is to understand the research outputs that are valued by the authors, editors, reviewers and readers of this association journal. We analyse the research published from the release of the Australian Curriculum English in 2014, until the end of 2022. We deduce the particular topic contributions made in 139 research articles according to the message systems of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. We also consider the theories, methods and recommendations made in the light of increasingly recognised deficits in the research evidence base around knowledge, efficacy and application. Our findings indicate robust engagement with highly contextualised research making visible the transformative work of English teachers.

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This lecture digs into some of the back story to current anthropological interest in relations. It focuses on aspects of the British school of social anthropology, and on one of its enduring conundrums. In order to make its presentation at least partly digestible, the author constructs a light scaffolding for it after the manner of a detective novel. So it will investigate The Case of the Changing Perspective and, as a plot within the plot, The Case of the Blind Spot.

Assessing post-Covid-19 Lebanese teachers’ attitudes towards ICT and their level of integration in the classroom in relation to their years of experience

In this technological era, the implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the learning environment is impacted by many factors, chief among them are those related to the teachers whose experience and attitude play a key role in the proper integration of technology. This study purports to investigate the effect of teachers’ experience on their attitude towards ICT integration and their level of usage in the classroom. It used a quantitative descriptive method by adopting two surveys (Hernández-Ramos et al., 2014 and Sánchez et al., 2012) as the main instrument for data collection. The survey was administered in four English language private urban schools in Lebanon. This study shows that the teachers hold an overall positive attitude towards ICT integration in the classroom. However, no significant relationship between their attitude and years of experience is identified. While teachers demonstrate a moderate to low ICT usage, a significant negative correlation between their use of ICT in the classroom and their years of experience is evident. These findings are not consistent with the prevalent literature that tends to associate positive attitudes towards technology with higher usage of ICT in different educational settings around the world. Limitations of the study and recommendations for sustainable implementation of ICT in the classroom are provided.

Teachers’ strategies and challenges in conducting HOTS-based activities in Merdeka Curriculum era

This study investigated the approach used by English teachers to promote Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) during the learning process. The Indonesian government, specifically the Ministry of Education and Culture, has taken the lead in implementing the Merdeka Curriculum, a curriculum designed to prepare students for the 5.0 era of society. The objective of this curriculum is to develop students who have the Profil Pelajar Pancasila, equipping them with the ability to use their knowledge and abilities effectively in practical circumstances. To achieve this, teachers must employ specific methodologies that enhance students' critical thinking abilities. focused on thirteen English senior high school teachers in Pekalongan Regency, with two selected for interviews and observations. Data were collected through a questionnaire, interviews, and direct observation. The data analysis involved quantifying the questionnaire responses, evaluating the open-ended questionnaire responses, and reviewing the transcripts from the interviews and classroom observation notes. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data from interviews and classroom observation, while coding was employed to extract the transcripts and observation notes. The study revealed that the strategies used by Merdeka Curriculum teachers were project-based learning and open-ended questioning. However, some teachers faced challenges in implementing these strategies in English classes, such as students' skill levels, teachers' expertise, and negative perceptions.

Values in English and Swedish Pre School Teachers: a comparative case study in early childhood settings

ABSTRACT This doctoral case study research aims to explore the values of English and Swedish pre-school teachers, focusing on their roles and the experiences they provide for 3 and 4-year-old children. Values are beliefs held by individuals to which they attach special worth or priority; and this research recognises that values are personalised and shaped by the social, cultural and political contexts in which the teachers are situated and they act as a prism through which practice is realised. The theoretical framework titled, situated pedagogy is used to help contextualise. Two ‘day in the life of’ videos were filmed (in a Swedish and an English pre-school) using polyvocal ethnography to capture two teachers’ multiple ‘voices’. This aim was to ascertain their values through ongoing dialogue, telling and retelling of their ‘stories’ provoked by their reflections on the video footage. The findings revealed many similarities in the teachers’ values, especially regarding relationships, a play-based pedagogy, valuing parents as partners, the layout of the environment and types of resources utilised, valuing the voice and rights of the child. It is concluded that these similarities are shaped by the underpinning educational policy and the curricula in the teachers’ respective countries.

An exploration of the impact of different peer learning activities utilised to develop student employability

ABSTRACT Assumptions about fostering human capital for national competitiveness underpin higher education policy drivers regarding employability. Departing from this focus on human capital development, research has highlighted the importance of relationality for employability, but there is a gap in scholarship about the role of peer relationships. Drawing on interview data about a curriculum-based intervention in an English university business school, we examine how students reflect upon and what they gain from peers in peer-focused employability learning experiences facilitated by external professionals. A ‘graduate capitals’ lens is used to illuminate student learning. Through group coaching, students’ identity capital grows by comparing themselves to peers and recognising mutual concerns; and through group activities in an assessment centre, students’ cultural capital expands through observation of peers and interaction with each other. We conclude by discussing the importance of reflexivity stimulated by peer interactions, and how to address student reluctance to engage with peer-based learning.