Creative techniques in action: evidence from a multiple case study of EAL Russian-speaking migrant children’s experiences in London primary schools.

Author(s):

Olena Gundarina(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

31. LEd – Network on Language and Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

31 SES 09 A, Multilingual Children, Language Development and Research Methods

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-24

13:30-15:00

Room:

W4.24

Chair:

Ana Sofia Pinho

Contribution

The paper discusses creative techniques of data collection employed in a PhD enquiry into issues faced by Russian-speaking migrant pupils living in England and the way these issues relate to personality development and language learning motivation at Key Stage Two (7-11 year old children). Creative techniques are used to address the research question - How does the experience of being a Russian-speaking migrant child in a L2 school environment co-affect personality development on social actor and motivated agent levels? The study’s significance is that it could contribute to an understanding of the place and influence of Russian-speaking migrant pupils as well as other linguistic minority groups in the diverse cultural realities (Holliday, 2011) of the classrooms in other European countries. Research into the area of Russian-speaking migrant children with English as an additional language (EAL) is pertinent to the schools given that the percentage of newly-arrived EAL students with Russian as first language in the UK state-funded primary schools has nearly tripled in just 8 years (from 3,511 pupils to 9,722 pupils) (Department for Education, 2016). Research related to this has been undertaken in other European countries such as Finland (Räty et al., 2010; Laihiala-Kankainen, 1998) and the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) (Šumskas et al., 2012), but to date there is no known L2 (second language) study of this in English schools. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory (SCT) purports, that change of socio-cultural environment, and consequently language by migrant children, influences the overall psychological and personality development process (Lantolf and Poehner, 2014; Vygotsky, 2005). This is particularly significant, given that Russian-speaking children in England with respect to issues associated with their linguistic and pedagogical needs are exacerbated by their reported ‘invisibility’ (Kopnina, 2005). The age of the children, together with issues associated with the language and minority status of the children, raised practical issues which can be addressed through the use of creative questions.

The use of creative techniques is located within a theoretical framework which is ‘constructed’ through using a combination of overarching and narrower focused theories (Anfara and Mertz, 2006). The overarching theory is SCT which provides broad based social level or macro-substantive dimensions (Hammersley and Atkinson, 2007, p. 188). Vygotsky's (2005; 1982) theory allows one to explore the psychological and language-related processes in the context of the L2 school culture, linking sociocultural environment, language and personality, focusing on an individual as a centre of analysis. However, a limitation of this theory for my study is that it does not suggest any specific trajectories (or possible stages) of psychological changes and subsequent learning changes pertinent to the mediational action, or the use of tools in learning. This issue is addressed through the use of complexity (chaos-based theory) described as a 'theory of survival, evolution, development and adaptation' (Morrison, 2002, p. 6, cited in Mason, 2008, p. 33). Chaos theory allows one to study specific transformation processes (Sade, 2011) pupils may undergo, and 'how these changes might be expressed in their personal lives and their professional practice' (i.e. schooling) (Karpiak, 2006, p. 86). The combination of these theories is a recently developed dialectic DST (KarimiAghdam, 2016a; 2016b). Individual level theories, or narrower conceptual theories used to explain micro-formal, situation-specific data, i.e. micro-substantive dimensions (Hammersley and Atkinson, 2007, p. 188), are McAdams’ Personality development theory (2015a; 2015b, 2015c) and Taylor’s Language Learners’ identity typology (2013; 2010) applied to explain social actor level of personality development. Self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000), Higgins’ (1987) Self-discrepancy theory and Dörnyei’s(2009) L2 Motivation Self-System Theory serve as lens of explaining language learning motivation (motivated agent level) of Russian-speaking migrant children.

Method

The methodology comprises an interpretive paradigm employing a qualitative multiple case study research approach with embedded ethnography and interviews with creative techniques. The use of a case study approach provides links and supports creative techniques’ application by offering a ‘detailed examination’ of individuals (Birch and Malim, 1991, p. 12) with the help of extensive ‘data collection’ (Creswell, 2013, p. 97). Creative techniques inform the data collection process in a reciprocal causation, the evidence of which will be included using the examples of creative techniques in progress and the preliminary findings. Creative research methods are chosen since research with children requires distinctive methods that would relate to them (e.g. age-specific peculiarities in particular contexts as opposed to methods used with adults) (Griffin et al., 2014).Creative methods may be generally characterized as the open ended approaches used and based around the children that facilitate children’s potential participation during the course of the study which is seen as ‘an effective tool for democratically engaging children and youth in the research process’ (Peek et al., 2016, p. 90). In designing the interviews with children, I turned to variations of creative interviews that allow using additional tools of research that are familiar to children (Griffin et al., 2014) and thus help them to feel relaxed, open and interested during the research process (Eldén, 2012; Deacon, 2000) and to ‘de-centre’ the interview by incorporating events, feelings, experiences beyond the interview process (Thomson and Holland, 2005), whereby ‘empowering’ the research process (Kramer-Roy, 2015, p. 1207).The creative techniques in my design are: (1) filling in exercise ‘Today I…’(adopted from Gregory, 2001) interview; (2) interview through game (the design outline adopted from Toth, 1995; some questions adopted from Winterbottom and Leedy, 2014, and Myles, 2000); (3) concentric circles; (4) ‘My hopes and dreams’ drawing; (5) Wilson’s (2006) tree test. Each technique is followed by a conversation based around this technique. The interviews are repeated each month during the 7-month period. Children are allowed to choose a technique during the interviews, e.g. if they do not like to draw, they could fill in the table, or just have a traditional semi-structured interview. All participants are assured of anonymity and privacy adhering to legal requirements working with vulnerable participants causing no harm (the Children’s Act, 2004; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989; BERA, 2011; The University of Leeds Research Ethics Policy, 2016).

Expected Outcomes

The potential outcome of this paper is to contribute to the methodological discussion related to the creative methods’ application and development in foreign, second or additional language research exploring the experiences of migrant pupils, their language learning motivations and personality development related issues. More broadly, the study could contribute to comparative studies with other migrant groups or studies of Russian-speaking pupils in other age groups, school settings, and European contexts.

References

Anfara, Jr.V.A. and Mertz, N.T. eds. 2006. Theoretical frameworks in qualitative research. London: Sage Publications. Deacon, S.A. 2000. Creativity within Qualitative Research on Families: New Ideas for Old Methods. The Qualitative Report. 4(3,4), [no pagination]. Dörnyei, Z. 2009. The L2 motivational Self System. In: Dörnyei, Z and Ushioda, E. eds. Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, pp.9-42. Eldén, S. 2012. Inviting the messy: Drawing methods and ‘children’s voices’. Childhood. 20(1), pp.66–81. Griffin, K.M., Lahman, M., and Opitz, M.F. 2014. Shoulder-to-shoulder research with children: Methodological and ethical considerations. Journal of Early Childhood Research. 14(1), pp.18-27. Hammersley, M. and Atkinson, P. 2007. Ethnography: principles in practice. 3rd ed. London: Routledge. Holliday, A. 2011. Intercultural communication and ideology. London: Sage. KarimiAghdam, S. 2016a. A Dialectical Reading of Dynamic Systems Theory: Transcending Socialized Cognition and Cognized Social Dualism in L2 Studies. Language and Sociocultural Theory. 3(1), pp.55-82. Kopnina, H. 2005. East to West Migration: Russian Migrants in Western Europe. Farnham: Ashgate. Laihiala-Kankainen, S. 1998. Russian pupils in Finnish schools – problems created by differences in pedagogical cultures. The school field. 8-9, pp.61-76. Lantolf, J.P. and Poehner, M.E. 2014. Sociocultural theory and the pedagogical imperative in L2 Education. New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group. Mason, M. 2008. What is complexity theory and what are its implications for educational change? In: Mason, M. 2008. ed. Complexity theory and the philosophy of education. Chichester, UK: John Wiley and sons, Ltd. Publication, pp.32-45. McAdams, D.P. 2015a. Three Lines of Personality Development. A Conceptual Itinerary. European Psychologist. 20(4), pp.252–264. Räty, H., Komulainen, K., Skorokhodova, N., Kolesnikov, V., and Hämäläinen, A. 2011. A picture is worth a thousand words: a comparison of pupils’ images of intelligence in Finnish and Russian Karelia. Social Psychology of Education. 14(1), pp.1-22. Šumskas, L., Zaborskis, A., Aasvee, K., Gobina, I. and Pudule, I. 2012. Health-behaviour inequalities among Russian and ethnic majority school-aged children in the Baltic countries. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 40(6), pp.553–562. Taylor, F. 2010. A quadripolar model of identity in adolescent foreign language learners. PhD thesis. University of Nottingham. Vygotsky, L.S. 2005. Psychology of human development. Moscow: Smysl. Vygotsky, L.S. 1982. The development of personality and ideology of a child. In: Vygotsky, L.S. Personality Psychology. Texts. Moscow, pp.161-165. Winterbottom, C. and. Leedy, A.K. 2014. Minority Voices: A Case Study of Children and Parents in a Manchester Primary School. Early Childhood Education. 42, pp.317–325.

Author Information

Olena Gundarina (presenting / submitting)

University of Leeds

School of Education

London

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