Session Information
99 ERC SES 07 E, Language and Education
Paper Session
Contribution
This qualitative case-study research explores the role of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers in the language in education policy context.
In the modern society it is very common to promote bilingual or even trilingual educational policies, where learners will be able to acquire languages which are recognised by the government as essential for its development (Ferguson, 2006; McKay, 2010, Spolsky, 2003; Mehisto, Kambatyrova and Nurseitova, 2012). Considering economically, socially, and politically important goals for the development of Kazakhstan in future, English became the strategic language of international relations in the trilingual policy on a par with Kazakh (the State language) and Russian (the inter-ethnic language) in Kazakhstan. However, the task was about how to make the implementation of English successful since it was not used widely in the country. The EFL teachers are not only those who promote foreign language knowledge and skills, but as well they play one of the essential roles in imparting educational values which are the basis of education in the language policy context. In this study the role of English language teachers in Kazakhstani mainstream schools in urban and rural contexts in trilingual policy in education enactment process is explored through the analysis of multiple case-studies conducted in secondary school system in Kazakhstan. As noted by Radha (2016) teachers’ role is vital in nation building since they build every single student’s character. We might even assume that future generations depend on teachers, as teachers shape them to prepare to the world. This study presents the preliminary findings of a wider research (PhD) which is been conducted during 2020-2024.
The main research objective is to offer insights how the policy is understood and enacted in specific teaching context.
The main theoretical framework for this research is the Spolsky's triad of language policy and language planning, where professor Bernard Spolsky (2022) suggested the theory on how to analyse language policy through the perspective of both top-down and bottom-up decisions, practices, and beliefs of education policy makers and language teachers (2004). This triad is important to this study, as the trilingual policy in Kazakhstani mainstream schools is being viewed through the perspective of teacher beliefs (ideology), teacher practice (power), and teacher agency. In this study I was following the critical realist case study approach. Critical realism philosophical paradigm can be defined as there are two dimensions of the world where one is observed, and the other is real (not observed). Ontologically speaking, in this project I have observed whether teachers’ ideologies are reflected in their practice, as critical realists claim knowledge is partial and context dependent (Creamer, 2018). It means that if teachers have any beliefs or attitudes related to teaching and learning process considering educational values as one of the ways of effective trilingual policy enactment, then do they use their teacher agency and power to implement the elements of value-led education in their practice. From the epistemological view of critical realism, I want to know how teachers perceive their role in relation to imparting educational values as one of the main directions of trilingual education policy in Kazakhstan aslso viewed as curriculum-based values. As it is described, critical realists admit the possibility of multiple valid interpretations of the same phenomenon (Maxwell and Mittapalli, 2010). That is why the phenomenon of trilingual education policy and its constituencies might differentiate in teachers’ viewpoints which might hypothetically be caused by their personal viewpoints, ideologies, agency, and power they either possess and exercise or do not.
Method
The qualitative case study research has been conducted in the mainstream secondary schools (rural and urban) in Kazakhstan in January - June 2023. After the schools (3 case study schools) have been recruited. 11 teachers of English from secondary schools participated in this study during 6 months period. The research participants were involved into the sequence of the first face-to-face interviews, lesson observations 2-4 lessons (English), and the second face-to-face interviews, which were conducted with all participating teachers of English from the case study schools. Simultaneously the researcher has collected the documents and the artefacts from the schools for further policy analysis (documentary analysis). The final part of data collection process was online focus group interviews with teachers of urban and rural schools (separate focus groups). The qualitative data was analysed in accordance with Braun and Clarke's (2021) thematic analysis (deductive coding) method. Following the ideas of the main theoretical and conceptual framework, the main 7 codes were identified for applying to further analysis. The main concepts applied to this research were Teacher Power, Teacher Ideology, Teacher Agency, The values of Education: Lifelong learning, Autonomous language learning, Critical thinking, and Intercultural competence. The Spolsky's (2021) language policy analysis triad was used as the main data analysis framework. The data on teacher beliefs (ideology), the power they have been exercising in policy enactment process and the teacher agency applied in their teaching process were analysed within the policy planning theories (Spolsky (2021), Ricento and Hornberger (1996). The operational definitions of the main concepts of the study originated from the theories of Foucault and Habermas (Power), Eagleton (Ideology), Gourd (teacher Agency), and the studies on the educational values Benson (Autonomous language learning), Fleming (Lifelong learning), Facione (Critical thinking) and Bennet (Intercultural competence).
Expected Outcomes
The preliminary findings revealed that Kazakhstani EFL teachers from mainstream schools in urban and rural areas share the same ideological views towards trilingual language policy in Kazakhstan, paying a lot of attention to the status of Kazakh language, as the one representing the national identity, that is why teachers exercise their agency and power during the lessons using code-switching and translanguaging for promoting all three languages (with the emphasis on Kazakh language) while conducting the English language lesson. Regarding the imparting of main values stated in trilingual policy in education, teachers operate them and develop the skills of critical thinking and autonomous language learning in learners, they are aware of intercultural competence and lifelong learning; however, they might probably not conceptualise it properly. At the same time EFL teachers believe that English language is very important for their learners in future, but they do not possess enough power to improve the language learning situation at once and quickly. The preliminary findings also revealed that EFL teacher professional life has changed with the language-in-education policy implementation process; although the changes are promising the positive impact, the reality shows various teachers' attitudes towards the policy implementation process and its impact on teachers professional life.
References
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