Plurilingual Learners Research Articles

Challenging the monolingual mindset: language teachers’ pushback and enactment of critical multilingual language awareness in Australian schools

ABSTRACT This study critically interrogates dominant discourses and practices in school settings, which reveal the legitimisation and perpetuation of a monolingual mindset. Through the lens of ‘Critical Multilingual Language Awareness’ (CMLA), this research unpacked the experiences and practices of language teachers who implement the New South Wales (NSW) mandated language curriculum and, where possible, create opportunities for adjustments to language syllabi for greater awareness of diversity and plurilingualism. Data was gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with four high-school language teachers at independent schools in NSW, Australia. The interview addressed teachers’ proficiency and knowledge of subject matter, their views of the (im)possibilities of the NSW language curriculum for developing plurilingual learners, and perceived challenges that appear to prevent multi/plurilingualism from being at the forefront of Australian language education. Findings revealed that despite teachers’ strong commitment to languages education, they feel discouraged about the limited focus at national and State government levels on consistent and systematic multilingual education. This not only diminishes every effort made by teachers to transform pedagogies for pedagogies for multilingualism but also legitimises a dominant underlying rhetoric of monolingualism that does not adhere to the principles of educating for democratic citizenship.

Multilingual authors ‘standing taller’ in arts-rich translanguaging spaces

Viewed through the monolingual English-only lens characteristic of many Australian schools, plurilingual students are often positioned as being in deficit as language and literacy learners and struggle to find their way into a writer’s identity. The importance of creating a translanguaging space to support plurilingual learners is well established in the literature. In the current case study involving a class of Year 4 students from a Melbourne school who took part in a six-week arts-rich book making experience, we addressed a gap in the literature by making visible how elements of the ‘translanguaging space’ interact to support students to come to see themselves as resourceful multilingual writers. Using Activity Theory, we found that the elements that supported the development of students’ multilingual writers’ identities consisted of the creation of a translanguaging space, the use of arts experiences to lead language interactions, the explicit introduction of translanguaging in a multimodal arts-rich space, and opportunities to apply translanguaging as multilingual writers. We argue that the playful multimodal opportunities for meaning making facilitated by arts experiences can support students to build identities as multilingual writers by providing a variety of multimodal entry points to that identity.

Wdrażanie różnojęzycznych studentów filologii regionów do czytania literatury francuskojęzycznej. Refleksja glottodydaktyczna nad wstępną koncepcją kursu

The current paper is a reflection on introducing plurilingual students of Regional Language Studies to the reading of francophone literature. The paper first discusses the didactic background for the reflection and emphasizes the plurilingualism of students. Next, the author presents how the autonomization approach to learning and teaching could be applied in an optional course of French focused on developing plurilingual learners’ reading comprehension of francophone literary texts, even before they reach the advanced proficiency level in French. The initial course concept will be illustrated with didactic analysis of the francophone novel – “L’ignorance” by Milan Kundera.

Interference in a Language and Culture Communication

International communication is one important aspect in a dialogue of culture and in a process of communication we should concentrate in a problem of the interrelated phenomena of language and culture within the context of bilingual communication. Language and culture interference are important aspect to be considered with regard to teaching of plurilingual learners, whose communicative competence is formed on the basis of several linguistic and cultural systems that interact with each other and exert mutual influence. Interference is an important aspect not only in linguistic, not only in the method of teaching but also in culture too. And after pandemic era we practically have a new view of communication - Online communication, that is defined as perceptual-verbal interaction connected with acts of cognition and creation of meaning-forming systems, manifested in a whole set of principles, among which there are: 1) dialogueness and communicability; 2) visual-perceptual experience; 3) interpersonal communication; 4) a tool for cross-cultural dialogue; 5) a linguistic component.

Teacher Language Awareness in Initial Teacher Education Policy: A Comparative Analysis of ITE Documents in Norway and New Zealand

Dramatically increased population flows since at least the 1980s, primarily through economic migration and refugee resettlement, have brought considerable ethnic and linguistic diversity to classrooms around the world. This diversity has been amplified by the rising recognition of in-country indigenous and minority languages. In such plurilingual learning environments, teachers require sophisticated language education skills. They need to be able to teach the dominant language/s across the curriculum, support plurilingual learners, and often teach foreign or additional languages. One conceptual lens through which to analyse the presence of these competencies in current teacher education policy is that of language awareness. While this term originally referred to the raising of student awareness of features and functions of language, it now incorporates knowledge about flexible languaging practices. Through a comparative analysis of the two key teacher education policy documents in Norway and New Zealand, we have investigated how the concept of teacher language awareness is incorporated in high-level policy documents pertaining to ITE in these two countries and how these converge and diverge in their treatment of language awareness. Our in-depth comparison of these important educational policies urges both jurisdictions, as well as others, to be aware of local particularities and broader patterns in meeting the needs of teachers to be plurilingually aware and equipped for 21st-century classrooms.

Collaborative Writing in a Third Language: How Writers Use and View Their Plurilingual Repertoire During Collaborative Writing Tasks

Recent years have witnessed major development in plurilingual pedagogies which support the use of learners’ repertoire of languages in language learning contexts (Payant & Galante, 2022; Piccardo, 2013). However, little research has been undertaken to examine adult plurilingual learners’ perceptions towards the use of their languages during authentic collaborative writing tasks and contrasted these views with their actual behaviours. In this case study, six plurilingual adult learners of English in a Canadian university with three unique L1s (Romanian, Russian, Spanish) completed two collaborative writing tasks on two separate occasions. Each dyad shared the same linguistic profiles and were encouraged to draw on their entire repertoire to complete the tasks. Semi-structured interview data shows differing levels of openness towards L1 and L2 (French) use during language-learning writing tasks. The analysis of the interaction confirms multiple uses for the L1; however, the L2 was seldom observed during interactions. The findings are discussed from a plurilingual lens and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Positive and Negative Lexical Transfer in English Vocabulary Acquisition

The aim of the paper is to explore the appearance of positive and negative lexical transfer of plurilingual learners in English vocabulary acquisition. Cross-linguistic influences in the study are examined by word translation tasks from Croatian into English, including true, partial, and deceptive cognates or false friends in English, German, and Italian. The results have revealed different language dominances and positive or negative transfer manifestation. Lexical transfer from L4 German is manifested positively, but the Italian language seems to play a dominant role in the acquisition of English vocabulary. The effect of Croatian is manifested both positively and negatively. The study has confirmed previous psycholinguistic studies on the complexity of lexical connections in plurilingual learners and the dynamic interaction of various learning-based factors, such as language recency, proficiency, exposure to languages, the order in which languages are learned, and the formal context in language learning.

The knowledge and promotion of linguistic heritages in the plurilingual classroom. Guidelines from primary schools on

Basing on the experience gained in the project The plurilingual classroom. Research on linguistic complexity for inclusive teaching, we present some recommendations for action with the aim of reaching an improved knowledge of the plurilingual learners’ linguistic repertoires and to make them visible and promote them in the school activities, in order to enrich the linguistic and intercultural experience of the entire class. By means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, teachers can collect useful elements to shape the teaching activities in the context of the plurilingual classroom. The promotion will be the more impactful, the more it will be able to involve all the languages of the classroom in interdisciplinary activities. Thanks to the attention to the dimension of plurilingualism per se, rather than to the individual languages, it will be possible to avoid counterproductive stimuli on individuals who are reluctant to share their experiences and, at the same time, to involve also tendentially monolingual speakers, guiding them to discover the pervasiveness of plurilingualism in society.

Bridging Teaching, Learning and Assessment Processes through a Reflective Method: Implications for Plurilingual Learning Environments

The challenges of global education highlight the need for students to meaningfully engage with their life experiences, deepen their reflection on their practices and feelings, and learn from them. What challenges may the implementation of such reflective approaches in a plurilingual and pluricultural learning environment entail? This article has a three-fold aim: first, it explores benefits that reflective and participatory methods have brought to plurilingual learners in different learning settings; second it describes the implementation of a three-mode reflective framework in a university blended course aimed at developing plurilingual competences, strategies, and literacies; and third, it argues how such reflective methods may contribute to promoting an integrated and transformative learning experience for a diverse linguistic and cultural learning community.
 Keywords: reflective approach, plurilingualism, plurilingual/pluricultural learning

Impact of task modality on collaborative dialogue among plurilingual learners: a classroom-based study

ABSTRACTDespite a growing amount of research on collaborative dialogue during task performance, little attention has been given to the occurrence of collaborative dialogue across task modality and its impact on language development. To expand our current understanding of task modality effects on learning opportunities, we examined the process of engaging in collaborative dialogue, operationalized as language-related episodes (LREs), during the oral and written modalities of two decision-making tasks and subsequent language development. Five dyads composed of Spanish (L1) – English (L2) bilingual students learning French (L3) completed two decision-making tasks, each containing oral and written components. LREs were coded in terms of type (lexis-based, form-based), resolution (learner-learner correctly resolved, learner-teacher correctly resolved, incorrectly resolved, or unresolved), and first language use. Tailor-made posttests were created based on LREs to measure language development. Findings indicate a higher percentage of lexis-based LREs, which were more salient during the oral modality. Accuracy scores on posttests suggest that LREs promote target language development.

Exploring graduate teachers' perceptions of their praxis after an AELS course

While speakers of English as an additional language are more common than native English speakers, most English teachers do not know how to teach plurilingual learners in their classrooms. Though studies have looked at the effect of teacher education on praxis, there is a dearth of studies in South Africa that have examined teachers’ perceptions of their praxis after a course on bilingual education models and practices. This study investigates whether in-service teachers feel that the ‘Paradigms and Methods in Applied English Language Studies’ course helped them to further develop their praxis. Students’ weekly reflection pieces were examined for evidence of critical reflection before interviews were conducted with three students who have taught, or are currently teaching in under-resourced areas. All participants reported that they had developed a more bilingual teaching praxis, but they often felt unsure of how to practically implement their learning from the course. Based on this finding two recommendations to lecturers and course coordinators of AELS courses are provided. Teacher praxis could be strengthened by 1) referring students to articles on bilingual education models and practices that mirror their teaching contexts and 2) explicitly teaching students how to reflect on implementing the theories that they have learned during the course within their classrooms.

Language Mediation in an L3 Classroom: The Role of Task Modalities and Task Types

AbstractPedagogical tasks in language learning settings promote learner–learner interaction and provide second language (L2) learners with opportunities to process authentic input and produce output (Philp, Adams, & Iwashita, 2014). During these interactions, learners use their language repertoire to mediate their output (Swain & Lapkin, 2000). Although language mediation has been investigated in various L2 settings, few studies have explored the mediating functions of the languages of plurilingual learners from a sociocultural perspective. The current case study examined the specific mediating functions of language sources (i.e., first, second, and third language) in the oral and written modalities during different types of pedagogical tasks among four students learning French as a third language (L3) in Mexico. Data sources included interactional turns produced during task completion and one‐on‐one interviews. The findings indicated that task modalities and task types impact the specific mediating functions of the L1 and L3. In addition, the quantity of L1 mediation appeared to be impacted by the learners' linguistic proficiencies. Implications for foreign language pedagogy are presented.

Plurilingual Learners’ Beliefs and Practices Toward Native and Nonnative Language Mediation during Learner-Learner Interaction

Abstract: Due to the growing number of plurilingual learners in the world today (Hammarberg, 2010), the present multiple case study examines four plurilingual participants’ beliefs toward first language (L1) and second language (L2) mediation in the acquisition of French as a third language (L3). During a 16-week classroom-based study in a French university language class in central Mexico, four Spanish (L1) – English (L2) participants completed eight collaborative pedagogic tasks and participated in four in-depth one-on-one interviews. A qualitative analysis of the focal participants’ beliefs about L1 and L2 mediation in the acquisition of an L3 was conducted and their beliefs were compared to task performance gathered from task-based learner–learner interaction. Findings suggest that both native and non-native languages serve cognitive and social functions during task completion but that individual differences are subject to previous factors including educational experiences, language proficiency, and context of language learning.

Plurilingual Learners’ Beliefs and Practices Toward Native and Nonnative Language Mediation during Learner-Learner Interaction

Plurilingual Learners’ Beliefs and Practices Toward Native and Nonnative Language Mediation during Learner-Learner Interaction

Emergence of patterns of strategic competence in young plurilingual children involved in French international schools

In a previous study, we demonstrated that the experience of learning a new language positively influences the metacognitive awareness of young plurilingual children in terms of willingness to communicate and strategic competence. In the present study, we expanded the analyses of the observations of 101 children to examine two hypotheses. First, we hypothesized that the strategies reported by the children would group into a limited number of strategic clusters. Second, we predicted that the children's awareness of strategies would depend not only on the experience of learning a new language but also on age. The factor analysis of the strategies used indicated three clusters, which we termed Speaker, Hearer, and External orientations. The analyses showed a significant effect of learning a new language in a formal context and after the age of four years, abbreviated LLE, that is Language Learning Experience, on the Speaker orientation. In addition, age showed a linear effect on the three identified clusters of strategies. These findings are highly relevant as they may help to shed light into why young plurilingual learners use strategies differently.

Multiple Minorities or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Plurilingual Learners? Re-envisioning Allophone Immigrant Children and Their Inclusion in French-Language Schools in Ontario

Abstract:Four out of five immigrants to Canada speak a language other than English or French as a first language. Immigration is increasingly transforming francophone minority communities. Allophone children acquire minority status on multiple levels within French-language schools, where they can become both a linguistic minority and a cultural minority within an official francophone minority in Canada. This article examines how culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) allophones have been constructed historically through official language and multiculturalism policies in Canada and how this political framing limits language rights and schooling for allophone immigrant children. By examining recent language policies, this article argues that the ways in which policy makers, educators, and researchers conceptualize CLD children shape their integration into Canada. This article draws upon a case study of teachers’ practices with allophone learners in one French-language school to highlight the potential for transformative third-space practices to support CLD children in French-language schools.

The M-factor, a bilingual asset for plurilinguals? Learners’ representations, discourse strategies and third language acquisition in institutional contexts

Within the framework of our research on learners’ language practices and representations, this contribution explores how their representations about language uses and language learning shape the processes of learning and communication in school settings. More precisely, we will study learners’ representations regarding the existence of a plurilingual asset, defined as plurilinguals’ strategic advantage for further language learning and use. Following a discussion of the arguments that support the hypothesis of plurilingualism as a potential facilitator for both learning and verbal interaction, we will address the question of the sociolinguistic conditions that must be met for learners to perceive their plurilingualism as an asset in formal education. Special attention will be paid to the impact of a third language learnt at school on the construction of plurilingual repertoires and on the evolution of learners’ representations about languages, language uses and learning as their repertoires widen and diversify. The population under study includes young plurilingual learners in two secondary schools and one university in France and Germany. The analysis of their discourse and underlying representations about the role of prior language knowledge in language behaviour and learning experience will allow us to discuss the role played by the institution in encouraging learners to view their plurilingualism as a strategic resource.

Making provision for community languages: issues for teacher education in the UK1

In UK schools, as elsewhere, linguistic diversity is on the rise. Changing patterns of migration and settlement mean that schools in areas where once English was the only language spoken are encountering bilingual pupils for the first time, while schools with a long history of multilingualism are finding that the range of languages spoken by pupils is growing and changing. These developments can be viewed positively, in particular given that plurilingualism (competence in more than one language) has been recognized by the Council of Europe, among other international bodies, as a desirable educational goal for all, benefiting both the individual who can speak several languages and wider society. However, to reap these benefits, there is a need for investment in formal educational provision which enables plurilingual learners to maintain and develop all their languages. Research conducted by three of the UK's Centres for Information on Language Teaching and Research—Scottish CILT, CILT, the (English) National Centre for Languages and CILT Cymru, in Wales—has established that there are substantial (and growing) numbers of plurilingual children in UK schools, speaking a very wide range of languages. There is provision for some of these languages to be studied formally, in mainstream education and in complementary classes. However, the research also revealed that professional development is a high priority for community language teachers, many of whom are untrained volunteers. In addition, research conducted by the Training and Development Agency (TDA) in England has shown that newly qualified teachers feel that their training has not prepared them well for working with pupils from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. There is therefore also a need for initial teacher education and professional development which raises awareness of the benefits of plurilingualism, and for teacher educators to participate in experimental initiatives to develop bilingual educational approaches.