Exploring the Geographies of School Children with English as an Additional Language (EAL)

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This research aims to explore the educational experiences of pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL), examining the policies, practices and geographies in schools which impact their experiences. In addition, it aims to consider the wider implications this may have on geographical understandings of the negotiation of language and multiculture in schools. There is a significant gap in the literature in geography on experiences of EAL pupils, and language in general, meaning that this project will have a unique contribution to geography and raise real-life awareness of the challenges facing EAL pupils in schools. English as an Additional Language (EAL) is used to describe pupils who use another language besides English at home, referring to pupils who may have migrated to the UK and speak no/very little English, as well as pupils born in the UK, growing up speaking English alongside another language which they speak at home with their families. 16.6% of pupils in state secondary schools are considered EAL, with this percentage and diversity in first language growing. The project developed out of initial research on the educational experiences of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), identifying how EAL pupils are often mistakenly diagnosed as having SEND (instead of recognising their academic struggles as part of the language acquisition process) and are often given similar support, and how classroom interactions and engagement of EAL pupils is often similar to SEND pupils (e.g. experiences of exclusion). Therefore, the way SEND pupil experiences are understood will be key to informing understandings of the school experiences of EAL pupils, as well as untangling the complex web of confusion between the two categories in schools. Research QuestionsI have 3 main research questions with an overall aim to examine the school experiences of EAL pupils and consider the implications this has for understandings of language and multiculture in schools. These research questions do not intend to suggest a universal experience of EAL pupils, heterogeneity in identity and experience will be reflected throughout. 1) How do schools understand, position and provide for the varied learning needs and educational experiences of EAL pupils? 1a) How do EAL pupils experience school? 1b) How do school policies and staff position EAL pupils? 1c) How do peers position and interact with EAL pupils? 1d) How does the spatial organisation of classrooms and other school spaces impact experiences of EAL pupils? 2) What does exploring the varied educational experiences of EAL pupils reveal about how language is negotiated in school spaces? 3) How does exploring the varied educational experiences of EAL pupils contribute to geographical debates on how schools socialise young people living in multicultural British society?MethodologyMy research takes an ethnographic approach to exploring EAL pupil experiences in schools, combining participant observation, formal and informal interviews and focus groups. My research centres around one school in the Midlands. The school is a secondary school where 48% of pupils are EAL, compared to the national average of 16.6%. I am working with one school to get deeply immersed within the school to gather rich ethnographic data and depth of understanding of pupil experiences and school policy, prioritising depth over breadth.