BELIEFS IN LINGUISTIC EDUCATION (click to view)
Volume 2024-2(12), 129 pages
* Intro
* Contents
* Authors
* Reviewers
Providing grounds for one’s own learning and one’s use of language
The axiological dimension of linguistic educational and, practically, all forms of educational applications of language tends to be grossly neglected. In other words, how we value the language(s) we use and what specifically we appreciate in it will generally fall outside the area of educators’ and students’ reflection. Instead of – explicitly – posing questions concerning what vocabulary we hold in high esteem or which language structures we view as crucial to the way we think (with such questions actually sounding amusing or odd to many language users not accustomed to this type of reflection), schools and educational stake-holders tend to that the language(s) for granted and just keep using it/them, without being bothered by assigning and discussing the significance of the particular items or characteristics of the language(s). Such a neglect is indisputably detrimental as it takes away from us a potential boost provided by our realised (and externalised) beliefs as people naturally learn more effectively and durably the issues they value and – for whatever private, educational, or professions reasons – hold firm beliefs in. As we have already observed throughout the sequence of ERL Journal’s volumes, the learning and the use of language(s) are best comprehended and developed if seen as comprising various domains, one of which are our beliefs.
Continuing this year’s focus on beliefs (as the second theme of Cycle 2 of ERLA’s trajectory), following and complementing affect (dealt with in Volumes 9 and 10 published in 2023), we can observe in the volume how axiological facets chime with and relate to feelings and emotions. Although, rather obviously, these two dimensions of our linguistic (and overall) functioning are not the same, there is a clear interplay between them and one never exists without the other. Moreover, without resolving here the issue of which of them comes chronologically first, our beliefs and our emotional approach to language(s) affect each other: in, for instance, one values a particular language, or any lexical or structural issues in it, one is far more likely to have a positive emotional attitude to it/them rather cherishing any form of dislike to it/them. Conversely, if one naturally feels “warm” towards language(s) or particular components and characteristics, one is fairly unlikely to disregard them and not to consider worthy of one’s attention. By the same token, ERLA’s Premises presented by the graphic below this text can be read as directly applying to beliefs (just like they proved relevant on the level of affect, which was shown in the introduction to Volume 10): our beliefs concerning language(s) determine our views on the world (as the items we hold in high esteem pertain to particular dimensions of the world), which direct our choices as to what and how we choose to learn, which, in turn, imposes certain language-oriented obligations on our teachers – all of which shows how significant a role is in the entire education played by language(s).
The focus on linguistic beliefs gave rise to the 7th International Pedagogical and Linguistic ERL Conference subtitled ‘Links between Beliefs and Language’, hosted by the International University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on 27-28 June this year, during which the majority of the papers included in this volume were presented. The event showed the extensive and complex nature of language beliefs and numerous facets they relate to. Specifically, the conference sessions addressed beliefs through sociolinguistic, cultural, literary, semantic, and instructional lenses, and, additionally, covered personal, interpersonal, and inter-linguistic dimensions. They all built up the picture of the omnipresence of words, which also constituted the subject matter of the conference workshop (initiated as one of the two novel components introduced – beside the project-oriented slot – into the sequence of the ERL conferences).
On the level of its structure, the volume remains consistent (particularly with the second 2023 volume relating to language affect) and covers two parts – Part 1. Beliefs through explicit lenses, where we re-envisage language learning beliefs and relate axiological aspects to such dimensions as bilingualism, intonation, or music, and Part 2. Beliefs through implicit lenses, dealing with beliefs in their “hidden” nature on the level of gender, youth, and – more extensively – literature (which made up a very strong module during our last ERL conference mentioned above). Additionally, and also traditionally, the two parts include what we sometimes refer to as “non-papers”, meaning a set of papers and reviews on issues relevant to the volume’s theme. Talking of beliefs, we can empathise one firm belief of ours with respect to these additional pieces of text, namely that their inclusion adds to the life-oriented direction of our entire sequence of volumes, with the reports and reviews in question provide us with a much wider context and world-wide settings in which the eponymous issues are discussed and respective work falling into the ERL scope undertaken. We hope that with this volume to contribute most positively to ERL Journal’s language (learning) beliefs and encourage them all to reach out for the subsequent volumes in which our discussion of affect and beliefs will be followed and completed by papers on actions and thinking, as the other two dimensions making up ERLA’s Scope Minor (reflecting students’ overall identities).
BELIEFS THROUGH EXPLICIT LENSES
8. Federico Piccolo – Teaching Ukrainian language in the Italian context
9. Sonja Kitanovska-Kimovska – Teaching in pandemic times, inspiration for change
BELIEFS THROUGH IMPLICIT LENSES
11. Anna Dąbrowska – Teachers’ initiatives in youth literacy education – from beliefs to activities
List of Volume 2024-2(12) Authors
List of Volume 2024-2(12) Reviewers
Carol Benson orcid.org/0000-0003-3075-0745: USA, MLE International. Carol is a founder and director of MLE International, a non-profit organization providing technical resources, consulting and networking to support the implementation of L1-based multilingual education in low-income context. Previously she was Associate Professor in International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University (2014-2022). She has worked in teacher education, curriculum development and policy implementation in multilingual countries of the Asia/Pacific, Africa and Latin America regions. Her scholarly interests include language-in-education policy change, the inclusion of Indigenous and non-dominant languages in education, assessing emergent multilinguals, the link between MLE and the participation of female learners, and creating a multilingual habitus in educational development. worldcitizen0357@gmail.com
Gisi Cannizzaro orcid.org/0009-0001-3454-5119: NETHERLANDS, Heritage Language Education (HLE) Network. Gisi is the Managing Director and founder of HLE Network, a charitable non-profit organization that connects and supports heritage language educators. She has an academic background in experimental and theoretical psycholinguistics and child language acquisition (PhD from the University of Groningen, 2012) and a professional background as educational advisor to families with children who are internationally mobile during (pre-)primary and secondary school. Gisi’s current activities include developing professional development and networking opportunities for heritage language educators, public outreach, and advocacy work. hlenet.org@gmail.com
Chenkai Chi orcid.org/0000-0002-4331-3600: CANADA, University of Windsor. Chenkai Chi obtained PhD degree in education from the University of Windsor. He now works as a post-doctoral fellow at the Faculty of Education, University of Windsor. He won SSRHC Doctoral Fellowship and Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). His research interests include teacher education and professional development, mathematics education, literacy education, curriculum studies, and West-East Reciprocal Learning. He was a Research Assistant in Xu and Connelly’s SSHRC Partnership Grant Project (2013-2020) and is a Research Assistant in Xu’s Canada Research Chair program (2019-2024). He is also a Research Associate at University of Western Ontario in Sirek and Sefton’s SSHRC Insight Program (2023-2024). chi3@uwindsor.ca
Anna Dąbrowska orcid.org/0000-0002-5192-2684: POLAND, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Education. Ph.D. (Post-doctoral degree). Her primary research interests are focused around literacy, as well as cultural and educational conditions for the acquisition and improvement of writing skills by children and young people. Her scientific interests also include issues of youth slang, communicative competence and linguistic worldview. The author of monographs on text-creation skills and education: Youth Literacy in the New Orality Age (2023), Writing is a Challenge. Young People’s Texts in School Education (2024), she is also a member of The International Association for the Educational Role of Language. anna.dabrowska@uw.edu.pl
Georgi Dimitrov orcid.org/0000-0002-6336-7403: BULGARIA, University of National and World Economy, Faculty of International Economics and Politics. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics. He has a PhD in phonetics and phonology. His key interests are phonetics and historical linguistics. gmdimitrov89@gmail.com
Renata Emilsson Peskova orcid.org/0000-0001-5618-5030: ICELAND, School of Education, University of Iceland. Renata’s current research project Plurilingual Pedagogies for Diverse Classrooms explores how students and teachers can build on their linguistic repertoires to enhance their learning and teaching. Renata’s research interests are in the field of educational linguistics and include plurilingualism and multilingualism, language policies, heritage and second language education, and linguistic identities. renata@hi.is
Erina Iwasaki orcid.org/0000-0002-8574-0125: UNITED STATES, University of Notre Dame, Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Erina Iwasaki is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in International Education, Languages, Literacy, and Poverty at the Pulte Institute for Global Development of the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. Her research and work focus on language issues in international educational development, particularly on language-in-education policy, and the efforts of historically marginalized ethnolinguistic communities in implementing education in their own languages. She has consulted for various INGOs and NGOs in Senegal, Tunisia, and Myanmar, designing and implementing multi-year teacher training, curriculum development, as well as conducting analyses and evaluations for multilingual education programs. eiwasaki@nd.edu
Emina Jelešković orcid.org/0000-0001-8438-829X: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, International University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Emina Jelešković is a lecturer at the English Language and Literature program. Her key interests are education, linguistics and translation studies. She has been involved in several projects, including: IUS Youth Conference, ECML’s project on developing competences for democratic culture for young learners through language education and a project on the international cooperation between higher education institutions. ejeleskovic@ius.edu.ba
Sonja Kitanovska-Kimovska orcid.org/ 0000-0003-0037-0434: NORTH MACEDONIA, Ss Cyril and Methodius University (UKIM) in Skopje, Blazhe Koneski Faculty of Philology. Sonja works as an Associate Professor of English and Translation Studies at the Department of Translation and Interpreting at UKIM. She holds an MPhil degree in English and Applied Linguistics from Cambridge University, UK, as a Chevening Scholar, and a PhD in Translation from UKIM, Skopje. She has been a practicing freelance translator and interpreter for more than 20 years. Her research interests include style in translation, translation quality and assessment, translator training and professional aspects of translation. sonjakitanovska@flf.ukim.edu.mk
Xiaojun Kong orcid.org/0009-0005-1200-9824: CHINA, independent researcher. Xiaojun received her degree of Master of Education in Language and Literacies Education from University of Toronto. She received her degree of Master of Professional Education in Multiliteracies Education from the University of Western Ontario. She received her degree of Master of Arts in Marketing from Durham University. She has been teaching IELTS (International English Language Testing System) since 2010. Her research interests are teacher education and professional development, curriculum design and implementation, and second language teaching methodologies. kxj0726@hotmail.com
Ervin Kovačević orcid.org/0000-0003-1262-071X: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, International University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Ervin is an associate professor of applied linguistics in the English Language and Literature Program at the International University of Sarajevo. He is the author of Teaching Adult Language Learners: Enhancing Personal Methodologies. His latest research mainly focuses on teachers’ professional development dynamics and the theoretical models representing it. ekovacevic@ius.edu.ba
Andre Kurowski orcid.org/0000-0002-8841-3365: UNITED KINGDOM, University of Chichester, Institute of Education and Social Sciences. Andre has a BSc (Hons) in Sociology, a BA (Hons) in Post Compulsory Education, and an MA in Leadership and Management. Andre achieved his PhD in Educational Policy and School Leadership from the University of Chichester. Andre is a Senior Lecturer on Childhood Studies programs with specialisms in social science and management, and coordinator of a Level 6 Top up program in Early Childhood. Andre has worked in a variety of educational settings, and has a wide range of experience working with young people in other capacities. Andre is currently involved with research into students experiences on childcare programs. Andre’s primary interests are the social and cultural aspects of language. A.Kurowski@chi.ac.uk
Sunny C. Li orcid.org/0009-0005-6987-6152: USA, Syracuse University, School of Education. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Literacy Education at Syracuse University, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Literacy Education. She has directed her research and scholarship towards understanding primary and secondary students’ learning of English as an additional language which also serves as the primary language of instruction in most U.S. schools. With colleagues, she has published original research on novice teachers’ emotions, comparisons and assumptions about English learner (EL) students. She has taught EL students in a U.S. urban school district, as well as co-taught post-graduate students-novice teachers about optimal language and literacy practices for all students. Her current research focuses on U.S. teachers’ personal knowledge and beliefs about teaching academic language to all students, but in particular, EL students. sli226@syr.edu
Slađana (Jelica) Marić orcid.org/0000-0002-9270-7016: SERBIA, University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Philosophy, Research Associate in Social Sciences – Pedagogy. After her studies in Piano Performance, Music Theory, and Opera, at the “Isidor Bajić” Music School in Novi Sad, Slađana graduated in Music Pedagogy at the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad (“The Best Student of the Generation” award), and English Language Philology (“Dr Lazar Vrkatić” – Faculty of Law and Business Studies FLV, Novi Sad), she completed interdisciplinary master studies in Management in Education (ACIMSI UNS) and doctoral studies in Teaching Methodology (FFUNS) mentored by Prof. Emerita Milka Oljača. Dr Marić has extensive experience in teaching music subjects and the English language in professional music and ballet educational settings. Her main research interests are in fields of Social Sciences (Education – Pedagogy) and Humanities (Languages and Music Arts). She published articles in peer-reviewed journals and international publications. Presented her research at major international summits and conferences in education (USA, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Poland, Serbia). Contributed with her research within the national project entitled Digital Media Technologies and Socio-educational Changes funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Editorial board member of the Educational Role of Language Journal (2019-2024) and member of ERL Network. sladjana.maric@ff.uns.ac.rs
Eva Mikuska orcid.org/0000-0003-2486-9643: UNITED KINGDOM, University of Portsmouth, School of Education, Languages and Linguistics. Currently works at the University of Portsmouth as a Senior Lecturer and Departmental Director for Postgradute Research Degree; she gained MA LTHE in 2012 and EdD in 2021 and became a Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in 2021. Her research interest focuses on the quality education and care for young children, gender discourses in ECEC field, ethnicised minority rights for education, social inequality, and identity questions. She is a Vice-Chair for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Early Childhood Studies Degree Network [ECSDN] and a trustee for TACTYC. Eva.mikuska@port.ac.uk
Nejira Mulahmetović orcid.org/0009-0001-5277-3828: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, International University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Visual Arts and Visual Communications Design Department. Nejira Mulahmetović is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Visual Art and Communications Design at the International University of Sarajevo. She earned a degree in Product Design from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Sarajevo, in 2007, and later received a Master of International Contemporary Art and Design Practice from Limkokwing University in Malaysia. From 2008 to 2013, she taught at the Faculty of Design and Innovation in Malaysia, holding various leadership roles. She also lectured at Jeddah International University in Saudi Arabia from 2013 to 2016. Since returning to Bosnia, Nejira has been actively involved in both academic and professional projects. nmulahmetovic@ius.edu.ba
Mirzana Pašić Kodrić orcid.org/0000-0002-1982-3352: Bosnia and Herzegovina, University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Educational Sciences. Mirzana is an Associate Professor of Literature and Head of the Department of Elementary Class Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as a visiting professor at the International University of Sarajevo, contemporary Bosnian writer and member of the Writers’ Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other literary organizations in the country and abroad. She has published co-authored scientific books Ethical Criticism and Children’s Literature (2020) and the Book About Nasiha (2022) and several scientific and professional papers, as well as several independent art books in the field of literature (some of them have been translated into several world languages). She has won numerous awards for her literary work and she is one of the founders of the Institute of Children’s Literature of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her narrower areas of scientific interest are the Bosnian language as a foreign/second language, cultural and gender aspects of literature and literary bibliotherapy. mpkodric@pf.unsa.ba
Federico Piccolo orcid.org/0009-0006-7160-0750: ITALY, University of Palermo, Department of Humanities. Federico Piccolo, after graduating with honors in Languages, Intercultural Literatures, and Didactics (LM-39) from the University of Palermo, Italy, specialized in language teaching, specifically in Russian and Italian as foreign languages. Since November 2022, he has been a Ph.D. candidate in Humanities (linguistic curriculum) at the same institution, conducting an experimental research project on the teaching of Russian, focusing particularly on the errors Italian-speaking students make when using motion verbs (with and without prefixes). He has participated in international conferences and mobility programs, spending time at various institutions. He is currently a teaching tutor in Russian language and translation at the Department of Humanities at the University of Palermo. His research interests are Russian linguistics, Slavic-Italian contrastive linguistics, typological linguistics, language teaching, language technology, didactics of the Russian language, Ukrainian language studies. federico.piccolo@unipa.it
Nadira Puškar Mustafić orcid.org/0009-0000-2624-0692: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, International University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, English Language and Literature Department. Nadira Puškar Mustafić is an Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature at the International University of Sarajevo, specializing in American and English literature and cultural studies. She holds a PhD from Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera in Osijek and coordinates the university’s Cultural Studies program. In 2021, she was an Erasmus Exchange professor at Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Turkey and, in 2023, received the SUSI Scholars grant from the US State Department. Her 2020 publication, Tears in the Audience: Catharsis in Contemporary Auto/Biographical American Drama, was funded by the Croatian Ministry of Education. Dr. Puškar Mustafić has also reviewed books for the Taylor & Francis Group and contributed articles to local and international journals. npuskar-mustafic@ius.edu.ba
Agnieszka Suchomelová-Połomska orcid.org/0000-0002-7056-1394: the CZECH REPUBLIC, Masaryk University Language Centre, Faculty of Arts. She has experience of teaching English as a foreign or second language in various environments (Poland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic) and for various purposes. At tertiary level, she has taught specialized courses of English for Sports Managers, Business and for Science (courses for chemists, biologists and physicists). She currently teaches English for Academic Purposes at the Faculty of Arts. Her previous research focused on syllabus design, project-based learning and simulations and roleplaying in a language classroom. Currently, she is interested in research in language and culture, and ethnolinguistic identity. She received her MA degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from London Metropolitan University in 2003. a.suchomelova@mail.muni.cz
Louise C. Wilkinson orcid.org/0000-0003-3315-9918: USA, Syracuse University, School of Education. Louise is a Distinguished Professor of Education, Psychology and Communication Sciences at Syracuse University, graduated from Harvard University with an Ed.D. in Human Development. Her research program has focused on learning both within and outside of schools. An internationally recognized leader in educational research, Wilkinson is best known for her extensive research studies on children’s language and literacy learning and mathematical literacy, publishing more than 150 peer-reviewed research journal articles, monographs, volumes and book chapters. She has presented her work widely at international conferences and meetings and has collaborated extensively with researchers and practitioners in language, literacy, and mathematics education. Professor Wilkinson teaches courses on language and literacy development, research methods, and the language of learning mathematics and literacy learning for English learner (EL) students. lwilkin@syr.edu
Amir Begić (Croatia, University of Osijek)
Vesna Bulatović (Serbia, University of Novi Sad)
Halina Chodkiewicz (Poland, Pope John Paul II State School of Higher Education in Biala Podlaska)
Ivana Cimermanova (Slovakia, University of Presov)
Irem Comoglu (Turkey, Dokuz Eytul University)
Veronique Duché (Australia, The University of Melbourne)
Oumaima Elghazali (Morocco, Mohammed V University)
Antonia Estrela (Portugal, Higher School of Education of the Polytechnic School of Lisbon)
Abha Gupta (Virginia, Old Dominion University)
Ana Jovanović (Serbia, University of Belgrade)
Chahrazad Mouhoubi-Messadh (Algiers, University of Algiers)
Zakaria Othmane (Morocco, Mohammed V University of Rabat)
Sanja Simel Pranjic (Croatia, University of Osijek)
Jelena Pataki Šumiga (Croatia, University of Osijek)
Žejko Pavic (Croatia, University of Osijek)
Solzica Popovska (North Macedonia, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University)
Alina Resceanu (Romania, University of Craiova)
Goran Schmidt (Croatia, University of Osijek)
Silvana Tokic (Croatia, University of Split)
Senka Zizanovic (Croatia, University of Osijek)