English As An Additional Language Pupils Research Articles

‘English as an additional language’, ‘multilingual’, and ‘vulnerable’: a reflexive account of the labelling practices surrounding school pupils in a researcher-practitioner collaboration

ABSTRACT Despite their diversity, UK school pupils with non-English home languages are uniformly labelled English as an additional language (EAL), presupposing linguistic deficiencies and academic challenges; thus, equating multilingualism with vulnerability. As part of a researcher-practitioner collaboration with a London primary school, we explore how researchers and educators assign and contest the labels EAL, multilingual, and vulnerable. Through this, we reflexively consider whether changing discourses around multilingualism can minimise potential vulnerabilities associated with EAL. We argue that researchers play a crucial role in mitigating a priori categorisation of EAL pupils and expose the impact of our agenda on potentially vulnerable pupils.

Resilience in the face of emergency remote teaching: EAL pupils’ experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Resilience in the face of emergency remote teaching: EAL pupils’ experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“Teacher, Teacher, can’t Catch Me!”: Teaching Vocabulary and Grammar using Nursery Rhymes to Children for Whom English is an Additional Language

AbstractChildren who are learning English as an additional language (EAL) need opportunities to learn English in playful, engaging ways. Nursery rhymes offer an effective forum to explore a wide range of vocabulary and grammar knowledge in a manner that is comprehensible to EAL pupils by using gestures, visuals, and props to support oral language development. This article explores how a pre‐kindergarten teacher used nursery rhymes to teach vocabulary and grammar in her diverse early years’ classroom.

Reflective accounts of teaching literacy to pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) in primary education

ABSTRACT This study investigates primary school professionals’ accounts of approaches used for teaching literacy to pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). Currently, the number of EAL children attending UK schools is significantly increasing, while national test data reveal a discrepancy in the performance of these children compared to L1 English speakers. Teaching and managerial staff were interviewed. Findings revealed aspects of good practice such as inclusive classrooms with differentiated learning. Emerging practices included communication between the school and parents, and assessment of children with EAL. Yet many participants did not have sufficiently deep knowledge of multilingualism to harness the home language to foster English vocabulary and reading development. The findings have significant implications for the teaching of EAL pupils. Teaching methods need to be more targeted EAL pupils, particularly in subjects heavily dependent on language skills. Additionally, CPD opportunities should include increased access to professional advice on EAL.

Effective intervention to support oral language skills in English as an additional language in the early years

Increasingly, children enter Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings with English as an additional language (EAL) and for many of these linguistically diverse children, their knowledge and skills in the English language is less-well developed than native-speaking (NS) peers. Much research over the past few decades has indicated how important early language and emergent literacy development is within ECEC settings, as children’s skills in these domains underpins later literacy development and academic achievement. Furthermore, many children from linguistically diverse backgrounds tend to have less well-developed vocabulary knowledge and struggle with aspects of literacy later on. In this paper we present the findings of a Professional Development (PD) intervention study aimed at helping teachers to develop and implement effective strategies that support oral language skills in both EAL and NS pupils. We discuss these findings in relation to two other oral language interventions where the focus was on working directly with pupils. We argue that whereas evidence suggests interventions working directly with pupils can be more effective on improved child language outcomes, we need to focus more energy on developing good PD for Early Years Practitioners to support them in their critical roles in children’s educational development.

Transactional school-home-school communication: Addressing the mismatches between migrant parents' and teachers' views of parental knowledge, engagement and the barriers to engagement

Applying organisational communication theory, this article advocates transactional systems for school-home-school communication with parents of pupils who have English as an Additional Language (EAL). The article draws on a mixed-methods case study of two secondary schools in England, including survey data from 64 parents of EAL pupils and from 407 EAL/non EAL students, plus data from semi-structured interviews with 10 recently arrived migrant parents and 18 teachers. The findings highlight deficiencies in transactional school-home-school communication, reflected in mismatches between parents’ and teachers’ perceptions regarding parental knowledge of their children’s schooling, levels of parental engagement and barriers to parental engagement.

Pedagogy for ethnic minority pupils with special educational needs in England: common yet different?

The increasing ethnic diversity in the UK has highlighted the importance of supporting primary school pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL), some of whom also have special educational needs (SEN). However, there is relatively little research carried out in the UK on children with both EAL needs and SEN. This paper presents the results of a study which aimed to explore the strategies used to teach and support pupils with the dual needs in four schools in North-West England. It reports research carried out with eight EAL pupils with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) and four pupils with learning difficulties (LD), and explores the different strategies staff used to support these pupils. The results showed that the two groups varied in the extent to which staff differentiated pedagogical strategies. The paper concludes by pointing to the need for further training and greater collaboration between the fields of EAL and SEN in research and educational practice.

English as an additional language pupils: how long does it take to acquire English fluency?

Policy-makers and mainstream teachers have long been concerned with the best way to help English as an additional language (EAL) pupils to learn English. Yet very little empirical work has examined the time it takes EAL pupils to become fully fluent in English in Britain. The key question posed in this research, therefore, is: how long does it take to acquire English fluency for EAL pupils? The empirical data for the study consisted of EAL pupils’ longitudinal assessment data on the stages of fluency in English from Year 6 to Year 11. The main finding of this study suggests that it takes about 5–7 years on average to acquire academic English proficiency. However, the speed of English language acquisition varies between stages of levels of English. On average, pupils are classified at Stage 1 (beginner) for about a year and a half, before moving to becoming familiar with English (Stage 2), where they typically remain for about two years. It takes about another two-and-a-half years at Stage 3 (becoming confident in English) before they can then be classified as fully fluent. Policy and research implications are discussed critically in the final section.

Maths beyond pictures

We all fall into the same trap, sometimes. It is an easy thing to do when teaching pupils in the later stages of learning English as an additional language (EAL). We find ourselves assuming that, because they can communicate all of their needs, participate in all playground games, follow instructions to the same extent as their peers, and chat away all day long (perhaps they are the ones that never stop), then they must also be able to cope with the language demands of the classroom. We are aware of their grammatical errors in English because it is evident in their writing, and we work hard to support them in this. But what about their learning in other subjects? Studies show that EAL pupils often underachieve more in maths than in English, proving the extent to which the subject is about language. This is an area in which many teachers require further support. We are using children’s conversational fluency to overestimate their cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), that is, the language they have available to them for academic study. As it usually takes between five and seven years for an EAL pupil’s CALP to reach that of an average first language English speaker, the primary years are a crucial time for its development, and a time when it should always be assumed that extra language support is needed. The old EAL adage of using visual images and culturally-relevant examples, while important, is not enough.

Rethinking educational leadership to transform pedagogical practice to help improve the attainment of minority ethnic pupils: the need for leadership dialogue

This study aims to explore how leaders are helping to close gaps of attainment for minority ethnic pupils in English schools, and in particular those pupils who have English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the primary and secondary sector. This is a comparative study across selected schools using qualitative approaches to help gain an insight into current good practice embedded by leaders, to identify the future needs of EAL pupils and to show how this practice is helping to close the gap. The findings suggest that school leaders are making a difference in raising standards for pupils. However, we argue that schools need to do even more to close the gap, in particular for EAL pupils. Our conclusion is that leaders need to critique their own practice through effective dialogue to accelerate these pupils’ progress. Therefore the need for moral courage and conviction to challenge the norm is even more imperative.

The development of comprehension and reading‐related skills in children learning English as an additional language and their monolingual, English‐speaking peers

A significant number of pupils in UK schools learn English as an additional language (EAL). Relative differences between the educational attainment of this group and monolingual, English-speaking pupils call for an exploration of the literacy needs of EAL learners. This study explores the developmental progression of reading and listening comprehension skills and a range of reading-related skills in EAL learners, whose first language is of South Asian origin, and their monolingual peers. Participants were 39 children learning EAL and 39 monolingual, English-speaking children who were all in school Year 3 at the start of the study. Children completed standardized measures of comprehension, vocabulary, reading accuracy, and reading fluency in school Year 3 and again in Year 4. The results suggest that, although children learning EAL often demonstrate fast and accurate reading accuracy skills, lower levels of vocabulary knowledge place significant constraints on EAL learners' comprehension of spoken and written texts. Reciprocal relationships between vocabulary and comprehension may lead to increasing gaps in reading comprehension between monolingual and EAL pupils over time. It is proposed that support for the development of vocabulary skills in children learning EAL is needed in early years' classrooms.

How does the use of role-play affect the learning of Year 4 children in a predominately EAL class?

This paper investigates role-play activities and how they can be used within learning for English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupils in a Key Stage 2 setting in England. Through observations, results showed effective role-play activities can be beneficial to EAL pupils, allowing them to practice words and phrases in a relaxed atmosphere supported by peers, teachers or bilingual assistants. Findings suggested that staff required specific training to provide them with strategies for teaching the very varied mixture of language needs and abilities. Recommendations included the use of role-play by teachers and the provision of additional support, thereby enabling staff to feel confident when incorporating role-play.

‘When they first come in what do you do?’ English as an additional language and newly qualified teachers

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), responsible for teacher training in England, requires all trainees to be prepared for the teaching of English as an additional language (EAL). This study investigated newly qualified teachers' (NQTs) continuing training needs in relation to the standards set by the TDA. One hundred and thirty nine new teachers participated in surveys over three years, and seventeen were interviewed. Findings suggest that initial teacher training programmes give variable attention to EAL. While there are strengths (placements, training sessions, speakers, awareness raising) there are also gaps in the training, for example in learning how to manage the integration of new arrivals and assessing EAL learners. With regard to further training, the most commonly identified professional development needs related to practical teaching methods and the development of appropriate resources for EAL pupils, followed by linguistic and cultural awareness, inclusion and differentiation. How to assess pupils with EAL was also a source of concern, with only limited awareness of current national expectations. There are implications from our findings for new teachers, training institutions, schools and local authorities.

Preparing newly qualified teachers in England to teach pupils who have English as an additional language

The present study explores the perspectives of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England entering the profession in 2005 and 2006 about their training and induction to meet the needs of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). Findings from a survey and from interviews revealed that the greatest concerns of NQTs related to the teaching of literacy and the assessment of EAL pupils' language skills. Perspectives on initial teacher training offered by English higher education institutions were mixed, with greatest importance given to the quality of school placements offered by training providers. Collaborative support was reported to be available in the induction year, by the third term of which confidence levels had risen. NQTs had found ways to develop their skills in teaching and assessing pupils with EAL. Nevertheless, while encouraging, the reported levels were not yet such that either teachers or the Training and Development Agency for Schools, the body responsible for teacher training in England, could feel satisfied with this aspect of teacher development.

How do you know that he’s bright but lazy? Teachers’ assessments of Bangladeshi English as an Additional Language pupils in two Year Three classrooms

This article considers how teachers come to assess pupils’ needs and abilities and how pupils come to acquire particular identities in the classroom—particularly Bangladeshi pupils who are both English as an Additional Language (EAL) and minority ethnic pupils. This work is a contribution to an emerging ‘sociology of educational assessment’ which considers assessment as a social practice. How teachers’ understandings of pupils, how their needs as teachers to manage their lessons and how their pupils’ actions in presenting themselves as particular kinds of pupils contribute to the achievement and underachievement of minority ethnic and EAL pupils is outlined through data from three case studies.

English language acquisition and educational attainment at the end of secondary school

There has been relatively little empirical research on the impact of stage of fluency in English of bilingual pupils. However, this issue is increasingly important given growth in the bilingual school population in England of over one‐third between 1997 and 2004 to around 10% of the school population. This study evaluates the relationship between stage of English fluency and performance in public examinations at age 16 for all pupils within an inner London local education authority. Two methodological approaches are used to study the associations. The first looks at the context and the trend data for the case‐study local authority (LEA) in terms of languages spoken and the performance of bilingual pupils in schools. This is followed by a detailed statistical regression analysis to isolate the unique association between level of fluency in English and pupils' performance at age 16, after controlling for the effect of a range of other pupil and school background factors. The results confirm a strong relationship between stage of fluency in English and educational attainment, with the performance of bilingual pupils increasing as measured stage of fluency in English increases. Pupils in the early stages of fluency perform at very low levels, while bilingual pupils who are fully fluent in English perform better, on average, than English‐only speakers. However, the latter results are not due to bilingualism per se since the difference is no longer statistically significant after controlling for other measured pupil background variables. All EAL (English as an Additional Language) pupils make better than expected progress over the two years between age 14 and age 16. The final section questions the appropriateness of the Qualification and Curriculum Authority's (QCA) approach to the assessment of bilingual pupils, which contrasts with the local authority's good practice. Based on the findings of this study, we argue that there is a need to develop a national assessment strategy that better meets the needs of bilingual learners. The policy implications for national and local government and for school improvement practitioners are reviewed.

Teaching Key Vocabulary in Geography and Science Classrooms: An Analysis of Teachers’ Practice with Particular Reference to EAL Pupils’ Learning

This paper discusses findings from research conducted in an inner-city middle school in England where the majority of pupils spoke languages other than English as a first language. The research was motivated both by a belief that the language needs of English as an additional language (EAL) pupils are not properly addressed in the National Curriculum and by a specific concern of the subject teachers that the EAL pupils’ small English vocabularies resulted in their lack of oral participation in lessons and contributed to their below average attainment. The paper discusses the effects on the pupils’ learning of subject teachers’ practices in teaching key vocabulary in science and geography lessons. It argues that a more explicit, systematic and principled approach to vocabulary teaching needs to be integrated into National Curriculum pedagogy.

English language acquisition and educational attainment at the end of primary school

This paper analyses the national key stage 2 test results for 2300 11‐year‐old pupils in an inner London LEA. A range of concurrent pupil background data was also collected, including whether pupils spoke English as an additional language (EAL), and if so, their stage of fluency in English. EAL pupils at the early stages (1–3) of developing fluency had significantly lower KS2 test scores in all subjects than their monolingual peers. However, EAL pupils who were fully fluent in English achieved significantly higher scores in all KS2 tests than their monolingual peers. The negative association with attainment for the early stages of fluency remained significant after controls for a range of other pupil characteristics, including age, gender, free school meal entitlement, stage of special educational need and ethnic group, although these factors effectively explained the higher attainment of the ‘fully fluent’ group. We conclude that EAL is not itself a good guide to levels of attainment, and a measure of stage of English fluency is necessary to interpret associations with test performance. Alternative measures which focus only on the very early stages of English proficiency, such as the QCA ‘language in common’ steps, are inadequate to assess the impact of bilingualism for all but the very earliest learners of English. Given the uneven distribution of EAL pupils across the country, those schools and local education authorities with high concentrations of pupils in the early stages of learning English are likely to be adversely affected in school achievement and attainment tables. The policy implications for national data collection and for the use of such data are considered.

Lexical meaning in the multilingual classroom: The word‐weaving project

Word‐meaning is an area that has been neglected in research on teaching and learning in an additional language. Poor command of English lexicon is a major factor in under‐achievement for many UK children whose access to the curriculum is through the medium of English as an additional language (EAL). In many UK primary schools teaching approaches miss opportunities to apply knowledge available in several theoretical fields. By taking word‐meaning as a focus of concern, elements from semantics, and from first language development and cognition maybe combined to develop better understanding of EAL pupils’ linguistic needs. The paper reports on a small‐scale, primary classroom‐based project, Word‐Weaving, which identifies a set of strategies to manage classroom discourse in ways designed to give words and their meanings particular kinds of attention. In this project, target word‐meanings related to learning objectives in UK National Curriculum topics were explored by teachers, EAL pupils and their families, and an example of this process is described.