Bilingual Education in an Australian Context: Exploring Children’s Perceptions and Language Use in an Innovative Curriculum Project
Files
File version
Accepted Manuscript (AM)
Author(s)
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Karpava, Sviatlana
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
A particular challenge for teachers in multilingual and multicultural classrooms is the varying levels of linguistic ability of the children. In the Australian context, a small number of immersion and bilingual schools exist but are often geographically distanced from each other and offer different forms of bilingual education, leading to increased challenges in supporting children’s bilingual development. The present study was conducted in a French bilingual program located within an Australian primary school. The teachers at the school identified a challenge in the varying linguistic competencies among children and ways to successfully engage all children in the classroom activities. To address this challenge, an innovative curriculum design, using project-based learning, was co-designed and implemented over two school terms. The project required children to work in groups to write and record a short video about their bilingual school and their plurilingual identities. Data was collected through observations of children’s interactions during project work, informal conversations with children, and interviews with the two participating teachers. Findings presented in this chapter explore the children’s use of multiple linguistic resources during the project and are analysed through a translanguaging lens, demonstrating how children used their linguistic repertoires as resources for learning, to explore their plurilingual identities, to engage in interactions, and as part of their sense-making processes. These findings highlight the importance of acknowledging children’s flexible and fluid use of their entire linguistic repertoires and consider ways to maximise these existing practices through the implementation of translanguaging pedagogies.
Journal Title
Conference Title
Book Title
Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Language Education
Edition
1st
Volume
49
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
This work is covered by copyright. You must assume that re-use is limited to personal use and that permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses. If the document is available under a specified licence, refer to the licence for details of permitted re-use. If you believe that this work infringes copyright please make a copyright takedown request using the form at https://www.griffith.edu.au/copyright-matters.
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Shoecraft, K, Bilingual Education in an Australian Context: Exploring Children’s Perceptions and Language Use in an Innovative Curriculum Project, Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Language Education, 2025, 1st, pp. 87-103