{"title":"English in Displacement: Language Learning and Test Preparation Experiences of Refugees and Asylum Seekers","authors":"Brigita Séguis, Heidi Miu, Ross Goldstone","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3356","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3356","url":null,"abstract":"In an effort to better support adult and refugee English language learners, this paper aims to focus on understanding the needs and experiences of one specific group, that is, refugee and asylum seeker healthcare professionals (RASHPs), based in the United Kingdom. RASHPs tend to be highly educated and experienced learners. One of their main objectives is to acquire high levels of English language proficiency and possibly return to clinical practice in their new host country. The data for the study come from an online survey that was completed by 106 respondents, followed by interviews conducted with three nurses and nine doctors. Additionally, two language test preparation teachers were also interviewed. The findings show that RASHPs represent a very diverse group of learners, with a range of linguistic backgrounds, age groups, and proficiency levels. Results further reveal that RASHPs often face a range of situational, technological and psycho‐social barriers that may prevent them from fully engaging with their English language and test preparation classes. The study concludes with a series of classroom and policy‐level recommendations that could help ensure better outcomes for refugee and asylum seeker learners.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"199 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142249749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“English Is Not Really a Subject”: Language Ideologies and Language Learning in an Introduction Program","authors":"Jenny Bergström, Carla Jonsson, Annika Norlund Shaswar","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3355","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3355","url":null,"abstract":"This paper explores the construction of language ideologies and language learning within English‐language education in a Language Introduction Program (LIP) in Sweden. LIP is an individual transitional program for newly arrived migrant students that seeks to quickly transition adolescents into further education or the job market. High proficiency in English is important in Swedish society and insufficient knowledge of English might lead to consequences for individuals, but also long‐term consequences for society regarding inequality and inequity. The methodology is based on linguistic ethnography, with observations and interviews at two schools. Data from interviews with English teachers and principals at LIP are analyzed using Foucauldian perspectives to discuss power and individualization. Our results show that LIP is organized in a manner that reduces teachers' possibilities to cooperate and assist each other in planning, assessing, and in developing teaching practices. To a certain extent, principals withdraw from their responsibility and place a significant amount of organizational responsibility on individual English teachers. Furthermore, monolingual ideologies are prominent in educational practices, and LIP is often positioned as different from the rest of the school which increases isolation.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘It's like English is given more emphasis than the topic’: Designing materials in English language teacher education","authors":"Luis Carabantes","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3353","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3353","url":null,"abstract":"Despite decades of curricular change and the introduction of language pedagogies emphasising meaning and communication, teachers of English in Chilean schools still tend to favour traditional methods and focus largely on discrete language. Using data from stimulated recalls, interviews and observations with preservice teachers, interviews with teacher educators and schoolteachers and analysis of official documents and materials, the article explores the design of materials by a group of Chilean preservice teachers and identifies why one of the main rationales mediating their materials design is subordinating topics, the content‐related themes guiding lessons, such as culture, historical characters and lifestyles, to discrete language. The preservice teachers' beliefs, their mentoring teachers and contradictions within the national curriculum emerged as pivotal factors reinforcing this phenomenon. Data also suggests that the ways in which teacher education standards are adopted by their teacher education programme could reinforce this subordination of topics, notwithstanding the standards' communicative orientation. The article stresses the need to provide more materials development instruction in teacher education, it highlights the need to re‐evaluate how the standardisation of teacher education is adopted by teacher education institutions and shows that researching materials design can illuminate persisting issues in language education.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Individual Networks of Practice and Socialization into Academic Writing Outside the Classroom: A Case Study of an English Learner in Japan","authors":"John Bankier","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3350","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3350","url":null,"abstract":"The theory of language socialization and its subfield academic discourse socialization consider how newcomers are socialized into the practices and identities of communities through interaction with various communicative partners. Drawing on the framework of individual networks of practice, this case study considers the academic writing practices of an English as a foreign language (EFL) learner (Tomomi) at a university in Japan through the lens of her outside‐classroom social network. Data were drawn from a study of seven first‐year Japanese university students and included interviews, writing assignments with written feedback, and class materials. Through inductive qualitative analysis, shared English academic discourse practices were identified across all participants. For this case study, Tomomi's interview accounts and out‐of‐class social network were considered in light of these practices to determine her socialization trajectory. Analysis showed Tomomi leveraged many informal social ties to access writing‐related support outside the classroom, building knowledge of (and sense of competence in) writing practices. Her interpretations of teacher‐written feedback shaped how she evaluated peers as sources of writing support, leading Tomomi to refine her network to individuals who could best support her socialization. The study demonstrates how socialization into academic practices in EFL contexts can also transform out‐of‐class networks.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the Grammatical Complexity of International Teaching Assistants: A Comparative Corpus Study","authors":"Heesun Chang, Amin Raeisi‐Vanani","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3349","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study is to analyze the grammatical complexity features of international teaching assistants' (ITAs) mock‐teaching presentations and to compare the distributions of these features to those found in the Oral English Proficiency Test (a local ITA assessment), university classroom teaching, conversation, and academic writing. The data consisted of 186 prospective ITAs' mock‐teaching presentations collected from two ITA training courses at a large U.S. university: one higher‐level course and one lower‐level course. All presentations were transcribed, proofread, and built into a corpus consisting of 247,043 words. Based on the previous corpus studies, a total of 22 grammatical complexity features were selected for the analysis. Overall, the discourse of ITA mock‐teaching involved a substantial number of both the grammatical complexity features commonly found in spoken conversation (e.g., finite adverbial clauses and modals) and those commonly used in academic writing (e.g., noun premodifiers and prepositional phrases). The frequency distributions of the features differed in complex ways between ITA mock‐teaching and the other registers, as well as between the higher‐level and lower‐level ITAs. Pedagogical implications for ITA training and assessment, and future research directions are discussed at the end.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Role of English and Its Myths in the Emergence of First Language Dissociation among Some Japanese‐English Late Plurilinguals","authors":"Ashley R. Moore","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3348","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3348","url":null,"abstract":"Linguistic distancing behaviours indicative of linguistic dissociation (Moore, 2023) have been documented in social scientific and literary accounts focusing on the lives of Japanese‐English late plurilinguals (LPs; e.g. Harrison, 2011; Kelsky, 2001; McMahill, 2001; Mori, 1997; Takahashi, 2013). Across these cases, diverse Japanese‐English LPs report distancing themselves from their first language (L1), Japanese, often linking it to negative affective states. However, the causes of these distancing behaviours remain underexplained. I share the results of a critical realist grounded theory method study into the causes of L1 dissociation among 17 Japanese‐English LPs. Data sources included interviews, narrative elicitation “comfort graphs,” and language use journals. My theory posits a complex set of psychological and social causal factors, including the onset of additional language acquisition, the experience of significant intersubjective conflict encoded in their L1 Japanese and the distorting effects of linguaculture ideologies rooted in racist Orientalist logics (Befu, 2001). These findings both further our understanding of linguistic dissociation and, because the data indicate that language education is a primary site for the propagation of these misleading linguaculture ideologies, underscores the importance of better and more critical education for language teachers and, by extension, their students.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mary J. Schleppegrell, Mina Hernandez Garcia, Sally AL‐Banna, Chauncey Monte‐Sano
{"title":"Agency and Register in Translanguaging: Middle School Bilingual Learners Engaging in Social Studies Inquiry","authors":"Mary J. Schleppegrell, Mina Hernandez Garcia, Sally AL‐Banna, Chauncey Monte‐Sano","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3346","url":null,"abstract":"We report on U.S. middle school Arabic‐speaking students who were agentive in translanguaging for disciplinary learning during social studies inquiry and suggest specific ways that students' academic learning and bilingual development can be supported through translanguaging in the context of English‐dominant classrooms. We engaged in design‐based research with teachers and students over five investigations and refined our mediating processes as we encountered challenges in supporting translanguaging in this context. Analysis of video records showed that for learners to be agentive in talking about subject matter concepts, they needed register development—not only in English but also through translanguaging. Bilingual inquiry curriculum materials and encouragement are not enough; interaction with others who can discuss disciplinary concepts through translanguaging is needed to support learners' agency in drawing on all their meaning‐making resources. The presence of recently arrived learners new to English creates contexts for translanguaging, but even fluent bilingual learners benefit from further development of Arabic social studies registers. With ongoing practice, emergent and fluent bilinguals participated in inquiry practices through translanguaging. Support for translanguaging in the context of learning school subjects can enable learners' development of their bilingual meaning‐making potential.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emotional Landscape of Translingualism: Multilingual International Students Navigating Shame Through Translingual Digital Stories","authors":"Jialei Jiang","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3341","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3341","url":null,"abstract":"Extending the current scholarly discussion on anti‐racist translingualism, this article explores how two multilingual international students navigate and resist the feelings of shame through translingual digital storytelling. Based on a narrative analysis, the study delves into the multilingual international students' racialized experience as they grapple with linguistic racism and internalized Whiteness. The findings from the narrative analysis suggest the students' evolving and ongoing relationships with shame. The researcher argues that translingual digital stories allow the students to draw upon a myriad of linguistic repertoires and semiotic resources, which are essential for navigating shameful feelings and addressing linguistic racism. The researcher concludes this article by offering suggestions and recommendations for cultivating an anti‐racist pedagogy within multilingual education.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141552261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Time to Proficiency in Young English Learners and Factors That Affect Progress","authors":"Xiaowan Zhang, Paula Winke","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3340","url":null,"abstract":"We investigated the time it takes 54,146 English learners (ELs) to attain English proficiency as they progressed from age 5 to 11 on average (Kindergarten through fifth grade in the United States). We also examine to what extent the time‐to‐proficiency estimate is affected by child‐internal and child‐external factors, including primary disability status, primary home language, home English use, instructional programming, and retention status. We used discrete‐time <jats:italic>survival analysis</jats:italic> to analyze the children's English growth. Survival analysis often concerns time from treatment until death: Here, “survival” is the time from EL‐program entry until “proficiency,” indicated via standardized testing. Half of the students attained proficiency in 5 years. Literacy skills (reading and writing) in general developed at slower rates than oral language skills (speaking and listening), with writing being ELs' biggest barrier to proficiency. While time to proficiency was significantly related to primary disability status, primary home language, and retention status, exposing ELs to their home language at home or at school does not have a substantial effect on their rates of English acquisition. The results are discussed for their research and practical implications.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141502717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Margaret Wood, Scott Sterling, Tove Larsson, Luke Plonsky, Merja Kytö, Kate Yaw
{"title":"Researchers Training Researchers: Ethics Training in Quantitative Applied Linguistics","authors":"Margaret Wood, Scott Sterling, Tove Larsson, Luke Plonsky, Merja Kytö, Kate Yaw","doi":"10.1002/tesq.3323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3323","url":null,"abstract":"This forum piece reports on a brief survey of current quantitative research ethics training materials in Applied Linguistics (AL). This survey was conducted as a step towards an increased understanding of the ways in which we, as a field, train students and researchers to conduct quantitative research ethically. The survey was carried out in the process of creating research ethics training materials as part of a grant‐funded project related to questionable research practices (QRPs). Through manual and computer‐assisted searches in twenty‐four textbooks and twenty‐three course syllabi from the past five years, three themes emerged: (1) research ethics is most often conceptualized in terms of IRB‐related topics, (2) when ‘ethical gray‐zone’ issues are mentioned, the focus is primarily on methodological transparency, data sharing/open science, and selecting the appropriate research design and statistical tests, and (3) materials tend to address the topic of research ethics in a single section or chapter, or in a single day or week of a course. Against this background, we provide three recommendations that our field can implement to provide more robust and thorough research ethics training for students and researchers in TESOL and Applied Linguistics: (1) expand our conceptualization of research ethics to include ethical gray‐zone issues, (2) be thorough and explicit in our discussion of ethical issues related to research decisions, and (3) incorporate research ethics as a recurring theme throughout textbooks and courses.","PeriodicalId":48245,"journal":{"name":"Tesol Quarterly","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140925733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}