The 2024 British Council English Language Teaching (ELT) Research Awards programme attracted 23 high-quality proposals on the theme of teacher development from universities across the UK with partner institutions based in ODA-eligible countries.
All submissions were reviewed by a panel of evaluators against the following criteria:
- contribution to the aims of the scheme, with particular reference to international research collaboration
- relevance to ELT professionals
- originality
- quality of research design
- qualifications and experience of researchers
- consideration of gender and equality, diversity and inclusion
- potential impact on ELT practice
- value for money
The following proposals were selected to receive a grant:
- Dr Harry Kuchah Kuchah (University of Birmingham), Dr Kandharaja KMC (Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram) and Dr Florence Ebila (Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda)
Beyond gendered textbooks: An investigation into gender(ed) discourses in secondary English language classrooms in India and Uganda
- Research summary
Despite the promotion of gender parity policies in countries in the Global South such as India and Uganda, there are still social and cultural factors that create gendered biases against girls, and which potentially impact on their experiences and life chances.
Most gender-related research in English language has focused on gender representation in textbooks without examining how teachers and students engage with gendered texts in these books to either promote or challenge gender stereotypes. Given that teachers sometimes reproduce prevailing gender norms in the classroom (UNESCO, 2020), it is important, if we must attain the targets of UN SDG 5, to understand how teachers navigate gendered texts in the classroom, and how this impacts on the learning experiences of girls and boys.
This study sets out to investigate how gender is (co-)constructed in secondary school English Language classrooms in India and Uganda with the aim of identifying patterns which would inform gender responsive English language teaching and teacher education. It focuses on ‘talk around the text’ (Sunderland et al., 2002) to examine what discourses are promoted or challenged and how these might impact on students’ learning experiences and aspirations.
To achieve this, the study will draw on observations of classroom interactions, stimulated recall interviews with teachers, focus group interviews with students and teacher reflective workshops to highlight the role of teachers (and their students) in constructing or countering gender stereotypes. We hope to generate knowledge to potentially inform policy, pedagogy, and teacher education in the area of gender in language education and education more broadly.
- Dr Tae-Hee Choi (University of Southampton) and Dr Prem Prasad Poudel (Tribhuvan University, Nepal)
Empowering English language teachers to adopt multilingual pedagogy: The case of multilingual Nepal
- Research summary
The project aims to develop a pedagogical translanguaging model against a multilingual context, and help cascade a new language policy acknowledging the important roles of ethnic languages. Language barriers pose a serious threat to equitable quality education in Nepal, in particular, developing English proficiency for disadvantaged students including ethnic minorities, girls and economically underprivileged students. As primary gatekeepers, teachers play a critical role in the realisation of equitable education.
The project will address this linguistic inequity, by empowering English teachers with contextualised translanguaging pedagogies, guided by the following research questions: 1. What is locally effective translanguaging pedagogy when an ethnic language is introduced against the hegemonic languages of English and the national language? 2. What pedagogical resources do local English language teachers need to teach English effectively in a multilingual class? 3. What developmental needs do English language teachers have, to become change agents in disseminating inclusive pedagogy to other teachers including content subject teachers?
The researchers and teacher leaders will critically synthesise current research on translanguaging as pedagogy and multilingualism/plurilingualism and develop a framework to guide the development of locally relevant multilingual pedagogies. Two English language teacher leaders from each of the three case schools will work together with other subject teachers and develop sample units and pedagogical packages to assist local teachers in effectively adopting multilingual pedagogy. In selecting leaders, female teachers will be given priority. Teacher leaders’ teaching with the revised units will be collectively analysed to identify their needs in becoming change agents. This process will not only empower the teacher leaders but also establish collaborative learning as a strategy for teachers’ self-empowerment and leading innovative pedagogies.
This project will empower the agency of English teachers through workshops and pedagogical activities and they can then influence the students as the role models. It will also embed gender-aware pedagogy in the intervention. All the discussions, teacher leaders' journal posts and interviews will inform the development of a teacher handbook. The insights gained through this participatory action research will advance the emerging debates on ‘pedagogic multilingualism’, and increase educational equity concerning English teaching in multilingual contexts.
- Dr Ursula Lanvers (University of York) and Dr Tetyana Lunyova (Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, Ukraine)
Decolonising teaching of English in Ukrainian secondary schools: Understanding teachers’ perceptions of English, promoting teacher professional development and wellbeing
- Research summary
This project focuses on exploring the potential of developing pedagogical skills and professional wellbeing of female English language teachers in Ukraine via raising their awareness of the decolonised conceptualisation of English and decolonised pedagogy.
In Ukraine, the teaching profession is extremely gendered, and especially so for language education. Furthermore, female teachers report benefiting from professional development to a lesser extent than male counterparts.
As Ukraine moves towards westernisation and Englishisation, the danger arises that one form of linguistic colonisation replaces another if traditional pedagogy of teaching English as a monolithic language is adopted uncritically. Moreover, the current incentives to both provide more support to the Ukrainian language and elevate the status of English in Ukraine are not completely reconciled and can potentially lead to tensions in English teachers' professional conceptualisations. The current context of the war, wherein Ukraine is struggling to protect its independence, has highlighted the urgent need to reflect on decolonisation approaches in education.
We will undertake a two-phase project. Phase one is a fact-finding phase which will provide insights into how Ukrainian female teachers conceptualise English (monolithic/plurilithic), view relationships between Ukrainian and English, and estimate their self-efficacy and professional wellbeing. Phase two is a teacher-facing intervention, with pre-post tests and control groups. We will develop an intervention based on Phase one results, with content aimed at broadening conceptualisations of English that will contribute to improving teacher self-efficacy and their professional wellbeing.
The project will be undertaken in at least six secondary schools in Poltava, Ukraine, and involve 25 teachers or more.
Since Ukrainian socio-linguistic landscape is complex with a noticeable diversity across different regions (Ivanova, 2023), this study focuses on one region to ensure the consistency and reliability of the data. The region, like others in Ukraine, is characterised by a dynamic mix of both Ukrainian and Russian use.
- Dr Melike Bulut Al Baba (Sheffield Hallam University) and Dr Dung Thi Phuong Cao (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University)
Teachers of English as agents of multilingualism: Exploring education for linguistic minorities in rural Vietnam through Teacher Activity Groups
- Research summary
This project aims to explore the challenges of teaching linguistic minorities in Vietnam, a group often identified as academically disadvantaged. There is a global gap in teacher education programmes in equipping educators to effectively teach linguistically diverse students. We recognise the need for teacher training in multilingualism in Vietnam and posit that teachers of English, with their nuanced understanding of language learning dynamics, can serve as catalysts for promoting multilingualism.
We will provide comprehensive training and support for English language teachers, focusing on multilingualism in education and facilitating Teacher Activity Groups (TAGs). These teachers, supported by the research team and local teacher educators, will lead TAGs with other subject groups to promote understanding of multilingualism and professional development for linguistically inclusive teaching.
Our research focuses on: 1) analysing teachers’ professional development needs for teaching multilingual students, and 2) evaluating TAGs as a strategic bottom-up approach, led by teachers for teachers, to enhance their professional engagement, foster ongoing learning in multilingualism, and provide leadership opportunities for female English language teachers, in particular, to create a positive impact in their teaching community.
The insights derived from our project contribute valuable knowledge on integrating the expertise of language teachers into mainstream classes through collaborative professional development and female teacher leadership initiatives.
- Dr Adnan Yilmaz (University of Stirling), Dr Servet Çelik (Trabzon University, Türkiye), Dr Malik Ajmal Gulzar (Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan), Dr Samina Rana (Department of English, Higher Education Department, Punjab, Pakistan) and Dr Deniz Ortactepe Hart (University of Glasgow)
Inclusive and social justice-oriented pedagogies in English language classrooms: Insights from Türkiye, Pakistan, and the UK
- Research summary
English language teacher education has historically been confined to ‘content’ delivery through prescribed methodologies (Wright 2015, p.19), resulting in limited attention to the impact of social, cultural, and political ideologies on language use and the existing power dynamics in the classroom (Hawkins 2011). The field has recently taken a social justice turn to integrate issues such as race, social class, and gender into language classrooms. This shift aims to equip teachers with the skills, knowledge, and dispositions to address the existing inequities and injustices across and beyond systems of schooling. Based on this foundation, this research aims to investigate the integration of inclusive and social justice-oriented pedagogies in language teacher education by focusing on pre-service English language teachers and teacher educators from three underrepresented geographical and cultural contexts in the literature: Türkiye, Pakistan, and Scotland.
Using mixed methods and a design-based intervention, the study begins with data collection through interviews with teacher educators, surveys and follow-up interviews with pre-service English language teachers, and the procurement of policy documents across these three contexts. Then a series of in-person and online workshops focusing on the conceptual grounding and pedagogical practice of critical and social justice-oriented pedagogies in language teacher education are held with pre-service teachers in Türkiye, Pakistan, and Scotland. These workshops are followed by the administration of post-workshop surveys and interviews to gauge impact and gather further insights. As the study draws to a close, the focus shifts to data synthesis, culminating in the development and dissemination of research outputs.
This collaborative research, focusing on Türkiye, Pakistan, and Scotland, will help enhance English language teacher education by integrating inclusive and social justice-oriented pedagogies. Key strategies include capacity building through in-person and online workshops, policy advocacy through engagement with educational institutions and government officials, knowledge sharing through dissemination events like an online multiplier event and publications based on the project, and resources sharing through an open access online platform. By fostering critical and inclusive pedagogies and sharing innovative teaching materials on an open-access platform, the project seeks to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable global landscape for English language teacher education.