English School Research Articles

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”

‘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.

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.