Language Policy In Schools Research Articles

The Inluence of Punishment on the Enforcemnt of School Language Policy: It’s Impact on the use of Kiswahili Language in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County

The Inluence of Punishment on the Enforcemnt of School Language Policy: It’s Impact on the use of Kiswahili Language in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County

The Drive for the Development of the School Language Policy: Its Enforcement and Infuence on the Use of Kiswahili Languge in Secondary Schools

The Drive for the Development of the School Language Policy: Its Enforcement and Infuence on the Use of Kiswahili Languge in Secondary Schools

Toward linguistic justice and inclusion for multilingual learners: Implications of selective translanguaging in English-medium instruction classrooms

Background and aimsEnglish-medium instruction (EMI) mainly mandates teaching all subjects in English only, but evidence shows teachers and students use local languages alongside English, commonly known as translanguaging. This has been proposed as a transformative pedagogy, especially for ethnic/Indigenous children, but research on its impact on the lived experiences of ethnic minority students in EMI multilingual classrooms is lacking. This paper fills the gap by studying the discursive use of translanguaging in EMI classrooms in a multilingual school in Nepal. MethodsDrawing on an ethnographic study in an EMI school located in a multilingual ethnic minority community where mother tongues (i.e., Bhojpuri) other than Nepali were spoken, this paper reports on interviews, focus group discussions, and classroom observations in Grades 6 and 9 over 4 months. ResultsData analysis reveals that both teachers and students recognized a need to negotiate the English-only policy to accommodate their limited English proficiency and used Nepali but not their mother tongues as a supplementary language. While English-Nepali translanguaging seemed to facilitate a better delivery and understanding of content knowledge, this selective, excluding practice did not guarantee equity and equality due to excluding students’ mother tongues (i.e., Bhojpuri) in content classes and school language policy. ConclusionsOur findings highlight how such “selective translanguaging” practices and their related ideologies stigmatize mother tongues, causing linguistic injustice for ethnic minority students. The study proposes “inclusive translanguaging,” countering unequal language ideologies and embracing historically marginalized languages, cultures, and identities.

Principals’ Use of School Curriculum and Promotion of Social Cohesion in Public Secondary Schools in Machakos County, Kenya.

This study sought to investigate how principals’ use curriculum in promoting social cohesion in public secondary schools in Machakos County. The study was guided by the ecological systems theory of human development and socialization. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design wherein a target population of 375 principals’ and 9 Sub County Directors of Education were respondents. Further, the study used stratified proportionate sampling in selecting sample sizes for the study in which case a sample size of 113 principals and 9 Sub County Directors of education totaling to 122 respondents were surveyed. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. Quantitative data was processed and analyzed using SPSS software version 26 and presented in tables. Simple regression analysis was employed in testing hypotheses of the study for inferences. While qualitative data was transcribed into themes and presented in narratives. The findings of the study revealed that principals use of school curriculum t (113) = 10.316; p was statistically significant in contributing to the promotion of social cohesion in public secondary schools in Machakos County. The study recommends among others that MOE makes value creating education mandatory in the school curriculum. Further principals should ensure language policy in schools is enhanced and prohibit the use of vernacular language in schools.

Sign language policy implementation in special schools for the deaf in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to examine how sign language policies are being implemented in special schools for the Deaf in Zimbabwe. It employed in-depth interviews to solicit data from 29 participants who were four district school inspectors, four educational psychologists, four school heads and 17 grade one to three specialist teachers. Data were analysed using deductive thematic analysis at the semantic level. The study revealed inconsistencies in sign language policy implementation as consequences of ambiguity of policy goals and conflict of the means of achieving the policy goals. The study further revealed that government officers were not proficient in sign language and so could not monitor policy implementation. Several other factors influenced the implementation of sign language policies in the special schools. Policy implementers were not aware of the meaning of sign language policies and how the policies were supposed to be implemented. There were, therefore, misunderstandings regarding how policies were to be implemented. Schools used various forms of sign language as a way of implementing the policies. On the basis of these findings, it was recommended that policymakers ensure that they formulate sign language policies whose goals and means are not ambiguous to avoid conflict in the way the policies are implemented. It was also recommended that the Ministry of Education provides capacity development opportunities to sign language policy implementers starting from those at national, provincial, district and down to school levels where classroom teachers need to be taught how the sign language policies can be implemented.

Focusing on education through multilingual language policy in South African schools

Abstract Even though multilingual education has been in existence for a long time, the new era has brought another contestation around this educational substitute. Multilingual education which is often realized through multilingual language policy seems to be the best way to prepare future generations to participate in constructing democratic societies in and intercultural world. South Africa is no exception to this development. The language policy and governance in the schooling system of South Africa cannot be seen in isolation from that of the rest of the African continent and the world. This article disinters the extent to which the bodies responsible for the governing of schools in South Africa can formulate and implement language policies that serve the demographic language interest of societies that they serve. This article contextualizes the rights-based approach through fostering a deeper understanding of how different participants and role players in the education system can form the links between rights and participation with a view to bringing about change in language policy formulation and implementation in schools.

Working together: why language policies of international schools must evolve to incorporate collaborative strategies between EAL and the mainstream

This article arises from a research study that aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the essential nature of collaborative relationships between English as an Additional Language (EAL) and mainstream subject teachers at an international secondary school in Ukraine. The research focuses on how EAL teachers support EAL learners in the mainstream classroom through collaborative practices. The article draws on qualitative data from interviews and field notes with Language & Literature, Science and EAL teachers. The interviews investigated how EAL and mainstream collaboration help support EAL learners in the mainstream classroom, and which co-planning strategies most effectively encourage collaboration, as well as EAL and mainstream teachers’ views and experiences about co-planning and working collaboratively. Arising from these data, discussion focuses on the disconnect between collaboration in theory and in practice. The article concludes that although effective collaborative strategies often exist, school language policies need to include scheduled collaborative planning time between EAL and the mainstream, and that professional development for mainstream teachers should be led by EAL teachers in order to foster more balanced content and language classroom teaching.

Harnessing the Benefits of Translingualism for English Language Education in India

Objective: Translingual practices among English teachers in India play an important role in improving students' multilingual skills and second language learning. This study examines their effective integration in language education and assesses the associated benefits. Set against India's rich linguistic background, it seeks to contribute to the broader discourse on multilingualism in a globalized world.
 
 Method: The methodology highlights the importance of translingual strategies and multilingual proficiencies in enhancing second language learning. It delineates key multilingual skills, including bilingualism, code-switching, and bicultural understanding, and links them to their respective advantages in education. By weaving translingual methods into language instruction, the research aims to promote inclusivity, question monolingual standards, and strengthen intercultural communication abilities.
 
 Results: English teachers in India largely support translingual practices in teaching, recognizing its value in enhancing language learning by drawing on students' existing linguistic and cultural backgrounds. However, school language policies that favor English and insufficient teacher training on multilingual methods pose challenges. These challenges limit the comprehensive integration of translingual approaches in classrooms.
 
 Conclusion: The study offers insights into translingual practices among English teachers in India, highlighting its potential to enrich language education by tapping into existing linguistic and cultural knowledge. Despite teachers' favorable attitudes, institutional barriers, such as language policies and a lack of adequate training, restrict its full implementation. Addressing these barriers necessitates a revision of language policies and providing specialized training for teachers.

“That’s not Arabic, ya ḥabībi, it’s Libyan!”: Negotiating language boundaries, hierarchies, and policies in Arabic supplementary schools

This paper examines language use and policies in Arabic supplementary schools in the UK to explore how language teachers and learners negotiate and renegotiate sociolinguistic hierarchies and boundaries between language varieties. It draws on long-term ethnographic research in three Arabic supplementary schools in Manchester, with a particular focus on one case study school. Classroom participation and observation, informal interviews, and linguistic landscapes (offline and online) offer insights into language practices and reported practices, revealing discrepancies between language policy and actual language use. The article demonstrates how language beliefs and ideologies held at wider global scales play out locally, shaping imagined hierarchies of language resources in the diverse urban diaspora setting. It shows how in the supplementary school, staff and pupils redefine the status and relevance of “Arabic” versus English. Furthermore, the paper discusses the tensions between fuṣḥā and non-standardized varieties that are at the center of decision-making processes relating to target language and language of instruction in the classroom. This article argues that language policies are to be understood as emerging and operating within wider “interactional regimes,” encompassing declared and practiced policies, actors’ dynamic understandings of their language resources, and local and translocal language ideologies.

A Critical Examination of Language Ideologies and Policies in an International School in Colombia

Background: In recent years, scholars and educators have criticized exclusionary language ideologies and policies within international schools. International schools often emphasize proficiency in English as a language of power instead of valuing students’ and teachers’ dynamic multilingual practices. Focus of Study: Although oppressive language ideologies and policies in international schools are a central concern for critical education scholars, relatively little is known about international schools that are negotiating a shift toward more inclusive and equitable approaches. To understand the role of language ideologies and policies within an international school context, I examined the following research question: What language ideologies influence language policy creation and appropriation at Colegio Colombiano (CC)? Research Design: To answer this question and further understand the complex and shifting roles of language ideologies and policies within international schools, I conducted a case study at CC, an international school in Colombia. Data Collection: Through collaborative research with nine teachers, I examined how teachers engaged with more equitable approaches to multilingual education. I collected and analyzed various types of data, including school language policies, lesson and unit plans, classroom observations, teacher and student interviews, and a teacher questionnaire. Findings: Through analyzing the collected data, I found a spectrum of language ideologies and language policies, as many faculty demonstrated a significant shift away from oppressive and exclusionary language ideologies and language policies through an increasing recognition of Spanish. On the other hand, although explicit messages about English as superior were no longer officially promoted, colonialistic ideologies and policies persisted that valorized English, denigrated Spanish, and ignored other societal and home languages. To analyze these findings further, I critically examined the described spectrum of language ideologies and policies through Pennycook’s (2000) framework of language ideologies. Conclusions: I conclude with key considerations for educators and researchers across diverse contexts as they critically reconsider and decolonize current approaches to multilingual education.

Language Policy in English-Medium International Schools: Transparency, Policy Cycle, and Implications

Although many international schools sincerely seek student well-being, many school leaders and owners fail to grasp how language is a crucial factor contributing to student well-being. While many international schools seek outside endorsement to reflect their efforts toward student well-being, endorsement often fails to ensure the realization of intentions expressed in school policy, including a school language policy. Developing and implementing a formal written language policy can provide transparency and an opportunity for schools to formulate, implement, review, and revise a planned approach for language use throughout the school community, including instruction, assessment, and academic and social discourse. This cross-sectional study reports findings on language policy transparency and policy cycle completion in 1,633 English-medium international schools in 2020 and 1,892 in 2023 within countries in East and Southeast Asia. These findings reveal that while schools authorized, affiliated, or accredited by the Council of International Schools, International Baccalaureate Organization, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges were statistically more likely to have language policies compared to non-affiliated schools, only about four percent of the schools in 2020 and six percent in 2023 displayed a formal written language policy on their website. Further, only about two percent of the schools in 2020 and 2023 displayed a formal written language policy showing the review date within three years, possibly reflecting the completion of a policy cycle. Considering most students attending English-medium international schools are non-native English speakers, these findings should sound an alarm concerning student well-being in English-medium international schools worldwide.

School language policies: a case for research-informed, cohesive policies

Language plays a crucial role in education; yet, on a daily basis teachers and school leaders must navigate a complex web of competing and often conflicting priorities in relation to various dimensions of language education. This includes supporting students’ first language and literacy development, sustaining the teaching of foreign languages in the curriculum and considering the role of other community or home languages spoken by students. However, while issues of language are undoubtedly relevant to all teachers, school-level language policies, which aim to provide explicit guidance underpinned by a clear set of principles, are too often conspicuous by their absence. For example, teachers are often left to their own devices to decide whether and how to allow space for other languages in the classroom; questions arise such as whether to use the first language in the foreign language classroom, or whether to ‘allow’ migrant students to use their home language as a resource for learning. This paper, therefore, aims to provide an overview of some of the key theoretical perspectives on multilingualism in the classroom and to consider some practical implications for schools when developing research-informed language policies. It will draw briefly on some preliminary findings from a project which analysed school policies relating to language across a representative sample of 998 secondary schools in England. A case will be made for teachers and researchers to collaborate to develop research-informed, cohesive school-level language policies which incorporate all dimensions of languages in schools.

Language policies and multilingual practices in Icelandic preschools

ABSTRACT This article aims at exploring family language policies and practices of immigrant families in Iceland as well as educational practices and partnerships in their children’s preschools. The article draws on interviews with preschool principals and teachers in three preschools in Iceland, and presents findings related to state, municipal, and school language policies as well as multilingual practices in these preschools. The findings indicate that despite the generally positive attitudes and interest in multilingual practices among preschool personnel, there is room for improvement in terms of more structured and systematic integration of the diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds of families, as well as fostering stronger partnerships with parents from different linguistic and cultural communities. Furthermore, teacher education should include both theoretical and practical knowledge of multicultural and multilingual education to better equip teachers for cultural and linguistic diversity in schools.

Voices and Identity Positionality in EFL Teaching and Learning Policy in an Islamic Bilingual Boarding School in Indonesia

Students' interactions in school-based activities across subject areas and linguistic groups have been the focus of study on the relationship between identity and learning. Likewise with what happened in the bilingual class which is very interesting to be studied further. Therefore the current study aims to analyze the positionality of students considering the voices of students, subject teachers, and school administrators influenced by school language policies. This study uses case study research. The data were collected out of 102 students that participated in the initial interview, four focal participants were chosen. Two of the students were female, and two were male. Semi-structured interviews and observations were performed. The qualitative content analysis utilizes the gathered data to produce unique representations of the transcripts, such as what is being discussed at a specific time. The findings of this study share students' positive and negative voices toward the implemented language policy at the school. They position themselves as passive and active English users in recognizing their identity positionality. This study may be of relevance to those active in secondary or higher education research, decision-making and advocacy in the non-profit and public sectors, school leadership and governance, and teaching and learning.

Migrant bilingual youth, family, and school language policy: ethnographic insights for urban Quechua education

Abstract In this paper, I draw on the ethnography of language planning and policy to consider how urban Indigenous language education might benefit from understanding the meanings and processes behind other language planning and policy activities migrant youth participate in, specifically, family language policymaking activities. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews conducted in the region of Cusco, Perú I examine the experiences of two youth from rural hometowns and of their families. My analysis discusses how family language policies influenced youth’s shifting repertoires towards and away from Quechua, how youth drew on their Quechua–Spanish bilingualism to act as family language policy agents guided by local crianza and raciolinguistic ideologies, and how youth experienced Quechua language education in urban high schools. I argue that urban Quechua education efforts need to consider how migrant youth experience and shape their bilingualism and that of their families across rural-urban continua in order to craft safe and meaningful spaces where youth can participate in the strengthening of their Quechua language practices and identities.

Translanguaging in Bilingual Deaf Education Teacher Preparation Programs

Most D/HH learners experience language deprivation because they lack full access to a comprehensible language input. Sometimes, this language deprivation continues through school because of the rigid school language policy and teachers’ failure to recognize and include all the linguistic repertoires which the learners bring. Like many other teacher education programs, some Deaf education teacher preparation programs have adopted assimilationist ideologies, subtractive approaches to bilingualism that focus on only the majority hearing language, English, or the majority Deaf people’s language, such as ASL. Embracing translanguaging improves the implementation of bi/multilingualism in Deaf education by empowering the learner and the teacher to work through these challenges of language deprivation and minority languages in classrooms with Deaf learners. The current article reviews the literature and draws from translanguaging theory and practices, biliteracy, and Crip linguistics to discuss how Deaf education teacher preparation programs can support future teachers in implementing translingual knowledge, skills, and disposition and avoiding linguistic neglect in Deaf learners. In addition, the article will focus on how teachers can value and support the acquisition of all languages beneficial for bi/multilingual Deaf learners to overcome language deprivation and challenges in school.

Inside the bubble: English as an additional language policy in British international schools

ABSTRACT Responding to the observation that there has been limited policy research in the field of international education (Hayden and Thompson 2008; Lehman 2018), the current article presents a theoretically grounded discussion regarding how British policy actors in Council of International School (CIS)-accredited British international schools may be constrained by the dominant English as an Additional Language (EAL) discourse in England and also serves to highlight why such constraints could be problematic. A modified version of Schwab’s (1973) commonplace framework provides the conceptual framework. It is argued that there are four key factors which influence the ability of policy actors in these schools to reduce the degree to which they are constrained by their home countries dominant EAL discourse. These factors include the extent to which: differences in school contexts are recognised; alternative approaches to EAL provision are considered; senior leadership buy-in is acquired; and, policy entrepreneurs are cultivated.

PUSH-IN LANGUAGE SUPPORT IN ENGLISH-MEDIUM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

The number of English-medium international schools implementing a second language acquisition instructional model using push-in language support is increasing. With the escalation of push-in comes increased interaction between English language learner (ELL) teachers and classroom teachers. This quantitative survey-based study aimed to explore ELL push-in support in the early and primary years in international schools. Within the construct of English-medium international schools, the researchers sought to investigate teacher expectations during push-in. Areas explored include language policy and the specification of teacher roles, availability of planning time, in-class expectations for ELL teachers, and teacher satisfaction with push-in. The study results revealed that slightly less than half of the participants reported having a school language policy that defined teacher roles, and approximately one-third of the participants in schools using push-in were not provided with planning time. The researchers also found statistically significant differences in the rankings of ELL teacher roles during push-in between ELL and classroom teachers. Further, the study revealed no statistically significant difference in the reported level of satisfaction with push-in between the two groups; however, when the two groups were combined, only about half of the participants reported that teachers were satisfied with push-in ELL support in their school.

The English Language Limits Me! Connecting Third Space to Curriculum Transformation in a South African University, Expanding Epistemological Landscapes?

Many studies were conducted on conventional colonial heritage; however, less attention examines the developing concept of curriculum decolonisation in South African universities. This paper advocates for a hybrid literacy between traditional conceptions of academic literacy and instruction for students’ sociohistorical lives, affluent and less affluent. I discuss and illustrate the hegemony of English in high-learning institutions and the post-apartheid mainstream education system. Alongside my previous work in the language field, I interrogate the impasse of language policy in high education and South African schools. This paper is an ethnographic study congruent with the interpretivism paradigm, employing the semi-structured interview for data collection. The third space supports it as a theoretical framework. It affords the provision and guidance for classroom instruction and autonomous learning modes balance, where developing new knowledge is heightened, allowing students’ voices. It is a response to the 2015-2016 student protests on South African university campuses, where several were perplexed on how to respond to the demands of the students to end violent protests against western disciplinary norms that devalue non-centre practices and themes. Biliteracy and translingualism are empathised as the concepts against ownership of language and culture, and its territorialisation, challenging the traditional contrast of ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ speakers and its connection to a particular nation-state.

Language Policy as a Focal Point in English-Medium International Schools

A language policy in an international school is a document that should state how language will be taught, learned, and used. In essence, a language policy can provide organization and cohesion for an international school as it works to deliver a curriculum to the students, and many students enrolled in international schools are English language learners (ELLs). This quantitative survey-based study aimed to investigate teacher adherence and knowledge of language policy in English-medium international schools. Also explored was the provision of professional development for working with ELLs and teacher self-efficacy when teaching ELLs in relation to language policy knowledge. Compared to previously reported data, key findings showed a rise in the percentage of teachers reporting their school had a language policy and a lower percentage of teachers reporting they were consistently following the policy. Additional findings were that less than half of the participants reported their school provided a medium or higher frequency of professional development for working with ELLs, and teachers who had knowledge of the language policy had higher self-efficacy levels when teaching ELLs than teachers who had no knowledge of a language policy.