Laura Gurney

What did they expect? Exploring a link between students’ expectations, attendance and attrition on English language enhancement courses

This article reports on and discusses the findings of an investigation carried out to explore the expectations of an English language enhancement course (ELEC) held by a group of undergraduate students at an Australian university. For the study, a mixed-methods approach was utilised, with two instruments: a survey with a combination of closed- and open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews. The research was guided by the following three questions: (1) What do the students expect to learn on the course? (2) How are they developing their expectations? (3) Are the students’ expectations being met? The literature concerning student expectations foregrounds the complexity and multi-faceted nature of the concept, the satisfaction of which can impact on student engagement, satisfaction, performance, retention and attrition. Findings show that the participants’ expectations of the course content and teaching staff were largely met; nonetheless, a lack of class attendance was noted throughout. Expectations were reported to have been developed largely through consultation with previous students of the course (43 per cent) and information materials provided by the university (42 per cent). The article concludes with a discussion regarding the implications of the findings for universities and education providers both in Australia and abroad.

Actors and agency in academic language policy and planning

Nearly two decades have passed since Kaplan and Baldauf [1997. Language planning from practice to theory. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters] drew attention to the dearth of language policy and planning (LPP) in higher education. Despite the continuing inflow of English as an additional language students into Anglophone universities, and a boom in English-medium instruction policies in non-Anglophone tertiary institutions [Dearden, J. (2014). English as a medium of instruction: A growing global phenomenon. British Council], LPP research remains relatively underdeveloped in higher education. We suggest that current understandings of academic language policy and planning in higher education would benefit from contextualised analyses of actors and agency [Chua, C. S. K., & Baldauf, R. B. (2011). Micro language planning. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 936–951). New York, NY: Routledge; Zhao, S. H., 2011. Actors in language planning. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (Vol. II, pp. 905–923). New York, NY: Routledge; Zhao, S. H., & Baldauf, R. B. (2012). Individual agency in language planning: Chinese script reform as a case study. Language Problems & Language Planning, 36(1), 1–24]. In order to address this gap, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 academic language program planners at different universities across Australia. We examined how the micro-level processes of program development and implementation were both constrained and enabled by the participation of different actor groups, operating at different levels (micro, meso, macro) and each with their own capacity to influence change. We conclude by arguing that coherent university-wide language policies, formulated by decision-making bodies representative of a variety of stakeholder groups and sensitive to program implementation needs at the micro level, represent a step towards improving the current situation.

EAL teacher-agency: implications for participation in professional development

Abstract Teachers construct their practice, education and professional development within two domains of professionalism: sponsored and independent. The association between these two domains, however, is complex; it is overlapping, inseparable and sometimes uneasy. The complexity is further exacerbated by the codependent nature of association between the teacher and employment context in which teachers’ and institutions’ trajectories for professional development may vary. This situation calls into question the discrete treatment given to and received by sponsored and independent professionalism in conceptualisations of teacher professional development. We argue that, in both domains, teachers’ agency as learners is crucial for their professional development and institutional efficacies. We critique the ostensible disconnect and tensions that exist between the domains of sponsored and independent professionalism in relation to teaching English as an additional language and discuss how principles of sponsored and independent professional development initiatives can be harnessed for optimal teacher learning.

Managerialist vis-à-vis learning and development goals for EAL teachers: A case study of an in-service professional development provider

Abstract Under current Western neoliberal philosophy, promotion of efficiency and resolution of issues are typically expected to result from effective management. The education sector, too, has responded well to these expectations. Amongst such expectations, engagement in professional development activities (PDAs) by teachers of English as an additional language (EAL) is widely encouraged, considered to be essential, and usually conducted with a view to facilitate effective and effortless administration. As such, institutional offerings of PDAs driven by managerialist agendas generally tend to be ad hoc attempts to facilitate administrative decisions rather than opportunities for teachers’ lifelong learning and development. Under such circumstances, providers of in-service PDAs are faced with a conflicting dilemma – that of facilitating an effortless flow of administration and, at the same time, promoting teacher learning and development. We foreground one case of such dilemma surrounding the offering of PDAs derived as interview data from an experienced provider of in-service PDAs for EAL teachers.

Re-envisioning Teacher Education Programmes for International Students: Towards an Emancipatory and Transformative Educational Stance

Globally, the number of in-service and pre-service teachers who seek in-service professional development qualifications in countries other than their own is on the rise. This is particularly true of the Australian education context. In an era of heightened ethical awareness, we are, more than ever, encouraged to critically consider the unintended outcomes and implications resulting from the provision of such educational experiences. However, there remains a silence in many of the discussions, consultations and policy papers about teacher education programmes (TEPs), specifically about their role, efficacy and ethical practice. Using post-training reflections of a practising teacher from Fiji who completed a TEP at an Australian university, as a case in point, we explore the development of reverse ethnocentric views, whereby this teacher’s idealised conceptions of professional identity and best practice overshadowed the perception of educational settings in her home country. Indeed, as the data illustrated in this paper suggest, when overseas participants return to their home countries, there is a tendency for them to become dissatisfied with the socio-educational practices and principles of which they themselves are examples of successful outcomes. We contend that attempts to neglect the seriousness of this issue are an abrogation of responsibility and highlight the need for TEPs to develop ethically responsible pedagogical practices, which acknowledge the sensitive nature of these issues and, in so doing, promote the development of an emancipatory and transformative educational stance for all, domestic and overseas participants alike.

Challenges for Developing EAP Practice in Anglophone Contexts

English for academic purposes (EAP), the academically-focused branch of English for specific purposes (Johns & Dudley-Evans, 1991), aims to facilitate learners’ participation in the English language academic community (Hyland & Hamp-Lyons, 2002; Prosser, 1994). The EAP sector has expanded rapidly in recent years (Liyanage & Walker, 2014b) and now plays a significant role within Anglophone and non-Anglophone higher education contexts (Ashraf, Hakim, & Zulfiqar, 2014; Basturkmen, 2012; Kafle, 2014).

Mapping language, culture, ideology: rethinking language in foreign language instruction

ABSTRACT Critical perspectives on language pedagogy and linguistics have been marked by advocacy for the deconstruction of the concept of language. Using Spanish as exemplary, and situating language within culturally informed worldviews, we contribute to this discussion through an examination of dominant language ideologies and their shaping of the teaching of foreign languages. We advocate for a critical analysis of both language and culture – concepts intrinsically linked – and consider how dominant ideological positions are constitutive of hegemonic discourses and material inequalities. The paper concludes with a discussion of the development of more equitable and transformative approaches to foreign language teaching.