Using Technology in Science Tasks: Reducing Language Barriers for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

自2011年叙利亚内战爆发以来，黎巴嫩已在其设备不足的公立学校吸收了50多万注册学龄叙利亚难民;然而，数学和科学的外语教学使年轻的叙利亚移民脱离了他们的学习，阻碍了他们的进步。英语或法语是黎巴嫩数学和科学教学的媒介，叙利亚移民的英语或法语水平低下，迫使许多人辍学，在很小的时候就加入劳动力队伍。事实上，在黎巴嫩，数学和科学教学的外语已经引起了争议，因为它也使贫困的黎巴嫩青年边缘化，并煽动许多人在完成义务教育之前离开学校。在这个项目中，我将与两个黎巴嫩非政府组织合作，黎巴嫩替代学习（LAL）和数字机会信托（DOT）-黎巴嫩，他们直接与叙利亚难民在公立学校工作，通过现有的在线平台Tabshoura提供三种语言（英语，法语和阿拉伯语）的数学和科学互动任务。我将与两个非政府组织进行知识交流，方法是应用基于我的博士学位和最近研究的框架，评估现有6至9年级科学任务的翻译和设计质量，并为材料改进提供指导。此外，六年级学生的样本将使用启发式技术进行采访，以调查在线互动任务的翻译和设计问题。调查结果将告知建设的非政府组织可以采用的新材料的开发模型的改进的示范任务。作为回报，非政府组织在利用技术满足黎巴嫩贫困青年教育需求方面的宝贵经验将对我深入了解背景和产生影响至关重要。此外，我将通过为实践者提供专注于任务设计的研讨会，并提高他们对任务开发中特定语言问题的认识，为学校的能力建设做出贡献。该项目的见解和研究结果将通过会议演讲、综合报告和独家撰写的期刊文章以及在贝鲁特的政策对话和在牛津的研讨会传播。ESRC GCRF奖学金将是一个极好的机会，通过在研讨会和会议上向广泛的学术和非学术受众传播我的博士研究成果来宣传我的学术形象;扩大我的出版记录，并开发了独家撰写的同行评审期刊文章;通过获得新的定性技术巩固我的研究组合;并扩大我的国际网络，包括阿拉伯语世界。更重要的是，这项奖学金将使我能够在新的背景下应用我的哲学博士和最近的研究，并与非学术用户，如学生，从业人员，学校，教师和国家和国际非政府组织进行接触，以实现更广泛的影响，为黎巴嫩的叙利亚难民提供优质教育。

Lebanon has absorbed over half a million registered school-aged Syrian refugees in its unequipped state schools since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011; however, the foreign language of instruction of maths and science has disengaged young Syrian migrants, hampering their progression. The poor proficiency of Syrian migrants in English or French, the media of maths and science instruction in Lebanon, has pushed many to drop out from schools and join the labour force at a very young age. Indeed, the foreign language of maths and science instruction is already controversial in Lebanon as it also marginalises underprivileged Lebanese youth and incites many to leave school before completing compulsory education. In this project, I will collaborate with two Lebanese NGOs, Lebanese Alternative Learning (LAL) and Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT)-Lebanon, who work directly with Syrian refugees in state schools to provide interactive tasks in maths and science in three languages (English, French and Arabic) through an existing online platform called Tabshoura. I will engage in knowledge exchange with both NGOs by applying a framework based on my DPhil and more recent research to evaluate the quality of translation and design of existing Year 6 to 9 science tasks and offer guidance for material improvement. Moreover, a sample of Year 6 students will be interviewed using elicitation techniques to investigate translation and design issues of the online interactive tasks. Findings will inform the construction of improved exemplar tasks that the NGO could adopt as models for the development of new material. In return, the invaluable experience of the NGOs in using technology to meet the education needs of underprivileged youth in Lebanon will be essential for me to gain a deep understanding of the context and achieve impact. Moreover, I will contribute to capacity building in schools by offering workshops for practitioners focusing on task design and raising their awareness to specific language issues in task development. Insight and findings of this project will be disseminated through conference presentations, a comprehensive report and a sole-authored journal article as well as a policy dialogue in Beirut and a seminar in Oxford.This ESRC GCRF fellowship will be an excellent opportunity to promote my academic profile by disseminating my DPhil research in seminars and conferences to a wide academic and non-academic audience; expanding my publication record and developing a sole-authored peer-reviewed journal article; consolidating my research portfolio by acquiring new qualitative techniques; and broadening my international network to include the Arabic speaking world. More importantly, this fellowship will allow me to apply my DPhil and more recent research in a new context and engage with non-academic users such as students, practitioners, schools, teachers and national and international NGOs to achieve a wider impact in the provision of quality education to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.