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Approximately one in five primary school pupils in England are classified as having English as an additional language (EAL), meaning that they routinely use, or are exposed to, languages other than English. It is commonly thought that EAL learners’ first languages (L1s) can be leveraged to positively impact their linguistic and academic development...
Citations
... This failure to take appropriate steps to minimise bias in healthcare research, where these design considerations are generally well-understood, is concerning. In applied linguistics research, it is still all too common to find research that has not taken appropriate steps to minimise the potential for biases to mislead (see, for example, the risk of bias appraisals in Chalmers, 2019;Huang & Chalmers, 2023). Of course, researchers working within any research paradigm should do what they can to ensure that their work is rigorous and fair. ...
This paper explores Chalmers and Glasziou’s (2009) notion of ‘research waste’ from healthcare research to examine what it can offer the field of applied linguistics. Drawing on examples from both disciplines, we unpack Macleod et al.’s (2014) five research waste categories: (1) asking the wrong research questions, (2) failing to situate new research in the context of existing research, (3) inefficient research regulation/man- agement, (4) failing to disseminate findings, and (5) poor research reporting practices. We advance this typology to help applied linguists identify and reduce avoidable research waste and improve the relevance, quality, and impact of their research.
... However, it is important to note that not all teaching approaches need to be solely interactive or play-based to achieve desired learning outcomes. Chalmers argues that tailoring teaching methods to the individual learner and the specific scenario is of utmost importance for successful information retention [15]. ...
This research focuses on the dynamic mix of students at international schools, where native English speakers and English as an additional language (EAL) students study English together. The study aims to explore how teaching practices are currently applied to both groups of learners, assess learning attainment in English lessons, and propose future developments in instructional approaches. Using a phenomenological qualitative research approach, 23 primary and secondary teachers from an international school were selected through convenience sampling to participate in three focus groups. Discussions centered around current teaching methods, methods of measuring learning attainment, and strategies for further improvement. The study found that peer support and translation emerged as consistent and effective approaches for teaching both native and EAL students. Assessment was a prominent theme concerning student attainment, and suggestions for improvement included differentiation, addressing individual learning needs, and revising enrollment requirements to better accommodate diverse ability levels. This research contributes to understanding teachers’ perceptions regarding the integration and treatment of native and EAL students in English lessons and provides valuable insights for designing inclusive teaching practices and recommending policy developments.
In response to calls for more research to assess the effects of translanguaging on substantive learning outcomes, this systematic review begins that process by synthesising existing research on pedagogical translanguaging approaches that have been formally assessed for effectiveness in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. A systematic process of searching and selecting the literature found 10 eligible studies. Data were extracted for narrative synthesis and quality appraisal. Results showed that pedagogical translanguaging was most frequently used to teach reading and writing rather than other domains. Five studies favoured translanguaging over English-only approaches, four of which were rated as having a high risk of bias. The remaining studies either detected no statistically significant differences between these approaches or favoured translanguaging in a small number of highly specific measures. We conclude that pedagogical translanguaging may be helpful in teaching in some circumstances, but that the low methodological quality of the literature on average makes it difficult to draw firm causal inferences. This systematic review provides the relevant background on what is already known about the effects of pedagogical translanguaging in EFL contexts to inform the work of researchers wishing to act on recommendations for more intervention research to establish the effects of the approach on English language outcomes.
The Ecuadorian government has reported remarkable learning gains regarding the academic progress of students in the educational system. However, the academic gains for indigenous students have not been clearly demonstrated. This quantitative study aimed at understanding the progress of educational reforms in Ecuador for indigenous students. These students tend to learn an indigenous language first. We focus here on the 2015–2016 student public sample datasets produced by INEVAL for fourth graders in Basic General Education (Educación General Básica; EGB). The results of the analyses indicate that urban students who spoke Spanish first outperformed rural students who learned an indigenous language first. The findings of this study also point to the importance of integrating diverse students’ assets and prior experiences as part of the curriculum to support the academic success of diverse groups of students.
Purpose This study investigates the effectiveness of using translanguaging for note-taking on students’ lecture comprehension and retention by measuring their scores on two tests administered two weeks apart. Methods The participants were English L2 Chinese graduate students (n = 101) studying in English-language programs in various English-speaking countries at the time of the study. The study used a quasi-experimental three-arm parallel groups design to compare the relative effects of three alternative approaches to note-taking (Chinese, English, and translanguaging). All participants watched a five-minute English-language video without subtitles and took notes using their assigned strategies. Then participants immediately took a comprehension test. After two weeks, participants took a retention test. Results The results showed that those taking notes in English only outperformed those taking notes using Chinese only on low-level, fact-based questions in the comprehension test. There was no significant difference found among the three language groups (Chinese, English, and translanguaging) in other types of questions (main topic questions and numerical questions) and the overall score. In the retention test, those taking notes in English outperformed those taking notes in Chinese in the overall score and all question types except for number-based questions, with the translanguaging groups also outperforming the Chinese group in fact-based questions. In addition, students’ previous study abroad experience was not found to impact students’ comprehension and retention of the video lecture content. Conclusion It seems that translanguaging does not aid advanced L2 learners in immersion contexts; instead, translanguaging may be more helpful for lower proficiency L2 learners.
