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ERIC Number: EJ1276005
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Dec
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0039-8322
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
"English-Only Is Not the Way to Go": Teachers' Perceptions of Plurilingual Instruction in an English Program at a Canadian University
Galante, Angelica; Okubo, Kerstin; Cole, Christina; Elkader, Nermine Abd; Carozza, Nicola; Wilkinson, Claire; Wotton, Charles; Vasic, Jelena
TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, v54 n4 p980-1009 Dec 2020
Although recent calls have been made for a plurilingual shift in language learning, particularly in countries with linguistically and culturally diverse populations, teachers are still unsure about how to apply plurilingualism in the classroom. There remains a paucity of studies investigating the disconnect between the theory and implementation of the plurilingual shift. This quasi-experimental study addressed these challenges by implementing plurilingual instruction in one English language program in a Canadian university and examining teachers' perceptions of this type of instruction compared to English-only. Seven teachers, all co-researchers of the study, taught two groups of students with different approaches: One group received plurilingual instruction, and the other group received English-only instruction. A deductive analysis of semistructured interviews with the teachers and an inductive analysis of classroom observations were conducted. Results show several affordances of plurilingual instruction, such as engaging students in language learning, advancing agentive power, and developing a safe space. Moreover, although none of the teachers had received training in plurilingualism, they unanimously reported preference for plurilingual instruction. Challenges resulted mainly from teachers' history with the English-only teaching tradition. This study is significant because it pioneered research aiming to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of plurilingualism, contributing pedagogical directions in TESOL.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A