Fiona Copland

‘I like this interview; I get cakes and cats!’: the effect of prior relationships on interview talk

Research interviews are a form of interaction jointly constructed by the interviewer and interviewee, what Silverman (2001: 104) calls ‘interview-as-local-accomplishment’. From this perspective, interviews are an interpretative practice in which what is said is inextricably tied to where it is said, how it is said and, importantly, to whom it is said (Holstein and Gubrium, 2004). The relationship between interviewer and interviewee, then, is fundamental in research interviews. But what happens when the relationship between interviewer and interviewee is not only that of researcher-informant but also involves other roles such as colleague and friend? In this article we will show how prior relationships are invoked and made relevant by both parties during educational research interviews and how these prior relationships therefore contribute to the ‘generation’ (Baker, 2004: 163) of interview data.

Linguistic Ethnography: Collecting, Analysing and Presenting Data

Ethnography and Language Linguistic Ethnography Data in Linguistic Ethnography Doing Research in Linguistic Ethnography: Building the Case Case study one: Reflexivity, voice and representation in linguistic ethnography Case study two: Researching feedback conferences in pre-service teacher training Case study three: Ethnography and the workplace Case study four: Ethnography, language and healthcare planning Practical Issues in Linguistic Ethnographic Research Empiricism, ethics and impact Transcription, translation and technology Writing up: genres, writer voice, audience Ways forward

‘I felt that I do live in the UK now’: international students’ self-reports of their English language speaking experiences on a pre-sessional programme

This article focuses on the English language experiences of a group of pre-sessional students, an under-represented group in the literature on language and education. In particular, it investigates the opportunities that such students have to use English outside the classroom, shown to be a key factor in student satisfaction with their study abroad experience. Drawing on data from questionnaires, interviews and on-line diaries, we show that students have a variety of opportunities to use English; however, these opportunities may require students to engage in complex negotiations right from the beginning of their sojourn in the UK. Micro-analysis of the data shows that agency is a key construct in understanding students’ representations of their English encounters as they begin their lives in the UK. The article concludes with some suggestions as to how pre-sessional courses may develop students’ linguistic and socio-cultural skills in order that they may interact successfully in English outside the classroom.

Deconstructing the discourse:understanding the feedback event

Joining an initial English language teacher training course can be exciting, confusing and traumatic all at the same time. It is exciting because it signifies a new start, perhaps a new career, and for many, a different approach to teaching and learning. It is confusing because there is a great deal of ‘jargon’ in English language teaching which trainees need to understand and begin to use. And it is traumatic because in most courses there is a teaching practice element in which trainees try out new skills and have their teaching assessed.

An Introduction to Linguistic Ethnography: Interdisciplinary Explorations

The term ‘linguistic ethnography’ captures a growing body of research by scholars who combine linguistic and ethnographic approaches in order to understand how social and communicative processes operate in a range of settings and contexts. To date, linguistic ethnography has been described as an umbrella term: an area of shared interests where established research traditions interact (see Tusting and Maybin 2007; Rampton 2007a; Jacobs and Slembrouck 2010; Maybin and Tusting 2011). A great deal of research has been undertaken under this umbrella (see, for instance, the work of Jan Blommaert, Angela Creese, Marilyn Martin-Jones, Ben Rampton and Celia Roberts, and Table 1.1, below), building on the foundational work of scholars such as Frederick Erickson, John Gumperz and Dell Hymes, all of whom are cited throughout the collection. However, linguistic ethnography has yet to reach a position where we can claim it to be a clearly defined approach. Linguistic ethnographic work is dispersed among many different disciplinary areas and, currently, there is no dedicated journal to bring work together and support its development. We therefore thought it timely to publish a selection of contemporary linguistic ethnography work in one collection. Our aim is to take stock of linguistic ethnography: to invite readers to examine the breadth of disciplinary and methodological currents converging in linguistic ethnography, identify intelligible threads and consider opportunities and challenges.

Teaching English to young learners: supporting the case for the bilingual native English speaker teacher

Abstract The growing number of young children around the world learning English has resulted in an increase in research in the field. Many of the studies have investigated approaches to learning and teaching, with a particular emphasis on effective pedagogies (e.g. Harley 1998; Shak and Gardner 2008). Other studies have focused on the linguistic gains of children (e.g. Smojver 2015) and on the complexities researching children entails (see Pinter 2011 for an excellent overview). However, despite calls in the literature, few studies have examined in detail the effects on young children (ages 5–10 years) of the teacher using different languages in the classroom, that is, L1 and L2. The study reported here addresses this issue. Drawing on interactional data from two NEST (native English speaker teacher) classrooms, interviews with NESTs and homeroom teachers, and from the NESTs’ diaries, it examines the effects of languages used by two NESTs on young children’s learning. One NEST understands and can use the children’s L1; the other only understands and uses L2. We will show that in the context of the young learner classroom, teachers who know the children’s L1 have a greater repertoire of teaching skills and so can provide more language learning opportunities for language learning. This reality, we believe, supports the case for employing bilingual teachers wherever possible for the young learner classroom.

Examining Talk in Post-observation Feedback Conferences: Learning to Do Linguistic Ethnography

As this collection of work demonstrates, linguistic ethnography is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field. Yet it is also nascent, and LE researchers are exploring its boundaries through developing approaches to data collection and analysis, and uncovering, sharing and drawing on theoretical constructs from a range of disciplines including sociology, philosophy and cultural studies. Many involved in this work have come to linguistic ethnography from either ethnography or linguistics and have made a number of adjustments to the ways they conduct research; for example, ethnographers learn how to do text analysis, and linguists learn how to observe ethnographically. The questions posed by the editors of this collection to contributors (see Introduction) were designed to encourage explicit reflection on these processes and, in so doing, to demonstrate how researchers situate their work within linguistic ethnography. The questions asked are repeated here: 1. In what ways did LE enable you to get to parts of the process you study which other approaches couldn’t reach? 2. In what ways has appropriating LE led to changes in your work and the methods you use? 3. How has your own discipline influenced/recontextualised the concepts and emphases within LE?