Abstract
AbstractStudents with English as an additional language (EAL) comprise approximately a third of the government school population in Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria. While the broad impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers and students has been the focus of recent studies, there is a lack of information on how EAL educators adapted to meet the needs of this diverse cohort of students during periods of emergency remote teaching (ERT). In this mixed-methods study, eleven EAL educators from diverse educational contexts in Victoria completed a Q-sort of 49 statements followed by in-depth interviews. The by-person factor analysis resulted in a three-factor solution that revealed the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic brought both challenges and opportunities for EAL educators. Some students who struggled in traditional classrooms engaged more effectively in remote learning, while others experienced significant anxiety. Additionally, some educators experimented with digital tools and strategies, gaining valuable insights into effective approaches for students with EAL. These findings render a nuanced picture of educators’ experiences during this time, enhancing our understanding of transformative educational practices for linguistically diverse students.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference43 articles.
1. Banasick, S. (2019). KADE: A desktop application for Q methodology. Journal of Open Source Software, 4(36), 1360. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.01360
2. Bonar, G., Fielding, R., & Wang, M. (2024). Exploring pre-service language teacher identities using Q methodology. In N. Fraschini, A. Lundberg, & R. Aliani (Eds.), Q methodology applications in language research (pp. 25–43). Multilingual Matters.
3. Brown, S. R. (1980). Political subjectivity: Applications of Q methodology in political science. Yale University Press.
4. Burke, P. F., Schuck, S., & Kearney, M. (2023). Teachers’ experiences of emergency remote schooling during the pandemic: Drivers for student and teacher wellbeing. Australian Journal of Education, 67(2), 124–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/00049441231159666
5. Couch, J., Liddy, N., & McDougall, J. (2021). ‘Our voices aren’t in lockdown’—refugee young people, challenges, and innovation during COVID-19. Journal of Applied Youth Studies, 4, 239–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43151-021-00043-7