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

本研究旨在探讨英语作为附加语言（EAL）的学生的教育经历，考察学校的政策、做法和地理位置对他们经历的影响。此外，它旨在考虑这可能对学校语言和多元文化谈判的地理理解产生的更广泛的影响。在地理文献中，关于EAL学生的经历和一般的语言有很大的差距，这意味着这个项目将对地理有独特的贡献，并提高对EAL学生在学校面临的挑战的现实意识。英语作为附加语言（EAL）是用来描述在家里使用英语以外的另一种语言的学生，指的是那些可能移民到英国而不会或很少说英语的学生，以及在英国出生的学生，他们在家里和家人一起说英语和另一种语言。16.6%的公立中学学生被认为是EAL，随着这一比例和第一语言多样性的增长。该项目是基于对特殊教育需要和残疾学生（SEND）的教育经历的初步研究，确定EAL学生如何经常被错误地诊断为SEND（而不是认识到他们的学习困难是语言习得过程的一部分），并经常得到类似的支持，以及EAL学生的课堂互动和参与度如何与SEND学生相似（例如，被排斥的经历）。因此，理解SEND学生体验的方式将是理解EAL学生学校体验的关键，也是理清学校中这两个类别之间复杂的混淆网络的关键。研究问题我有三个主要的研究问题，总的目标是检查EAL学生的学校经历，并考虑这对学校中语言和多元文化的理解的影响。这些研究问题并不打算表明EAL学生的普遍经验，身份和经验的异质性将贯穿始终。1)学校如何认识、定位和提供不同的学习需要和教育经验？1a) EAL学生如何体验学校生活？1b)学校政策及教职员如何定位EAL学生？1c)同龄人如何定位和与EAL学生互动？1d)教室和其他学校空间的空间组织如何影响EAL学生的体验？2)探究英语教育学生的不同教育经历揭示了语言是如何在学校空间中协商的？3)探索EAL学生的不同教育经历如何有助于关于学校如何使生活在多元文化英国社会中的年轻人社会化的地理辩论？研究方法：我的研究采用民族志方法，结合参与观察、正式和非正式访谈和焦点小组，探索EAL学生在学校的经历。我的研究中心是中部地区的一所学校。这所学校是一所中学，48%的学生是EAL，而全国平均水平为16.6%。我正在与一所学校合作，深入了解学校，收集丰富的民族志数据，深入了解学生的经历和学校政策，优先考虑深度而不是广度。

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.