A prerequisite for learning is that instructions and other learning activities take place in a language that you understand. This may seem self-evident, but fact remains that most learners in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are taught in a European second language (L2) that they are unfamiliar with. Frequently, the role of the home languages in the…

Responding to the observation that there has been limited policy research in the field of international education (Hayden and Thompson 2008; Lehman 2018), the current article presents a theoretically grounded discussion regarding how British policy actors in Council of International School (CIS)-accredited British international schools may be…

Drawing on decades of lessons from a Bilingual Teacher Education Program (BTEP) in California that has persevered both restrictive and additive federal and state educational language policies, this manuscript provides an ethnographic snapshot of how this BTEP has strategically navigated through and around anti-immigrant ideologies and policies to…

With a forward-looking and problem-solving mindset, this article aims to combine theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence from different schools of thought in the field of second language (L2) learning and teaching--namely, instructed second language acquisition, generative linguistics, and an ecological perspective that includes multiple…

This article examines recent U.S. language education policies regarding English learners (ELs) and their teachers using an interpretive policy analysis theoretical lens (Wagenaar 2011) incorporating a sensemaking perspective on organizational dynamics (Weick, Sutcliffe, and Obstfeld 2005). We portray U.S. EL policies as shaped by varying macro,…

This critical assessment examines the tension that has recently evolved between translanguaging advocates and advocates of two-way immersion programs. Translanguaging advocates have called for a reframing of language allocation practices and the incorporation of translanguaging pedagogy into these programs. At issue is that two-way immersion…

This conceptual essay examines the historic, ideological foundations of bilingual education in the United States as influenced by various perspectives and policies related to multilingual learners. Additionally, past and current curricular models of bilingual education are analyzed through an ideological lens, illustrating connections between…

This conceptual study examines the neoliberal knowledge economy as a dimension of globalisation policy within East Asian higher education. In exploring the practice of linguistic instrumentalisation, this inquiry aims to demonstrate the influence of English on the hereditary reproduction of social class. Calling on the theories of Pierre Bourdieu…

Latin is currently being trialled as a subject in 40 state secondary schools in England. This paper focuses on one of the justifications of this trial: that teaching Latin in state secondary schools provides students with cultural capital which in turn counters social injustice. By taking the example of Latin as a starting point, I reach two…

This article advocates for a sociocultural perspective on foreign language education policy and practice in state education systems. The article's geographical focus is on selected countries in Asia, though the general arguments may also be applicable to other countries. It examines factors underlying the divergence between policy intentions and…

Many candidates undertaking high-stakes English language proficiency tests for academic enrolment do not achieve the results they need for reasons including linguistic unreadiness, test unpreparedness, illness, an unfavourable configuration of tasks, or administrative and marking errors. Owing to the importance of meeting goals or out of a belief…

The profound evolution that Spanish language education has experienced since the passing of the first modern educational law in 1970 has led to improved students' proficiency. In this sense, traditional foreign language teaching has been gradually substituted by Bilingual Education in the country to promote language learning, intercultural…

The purpose of this study is to examine the linguistic and non-linguistic goals of the Southeast Asian languages (SEAL) policy in Taiwan. It was proposed by former President Ma Ying-jeou's administration to develop grades 1-12 students' multilingual awareness, for there has been an increasingly significant presence of second-generation Southeast…

As global neoliberalism continues to take root, States aim to produce linguistically-skilled human capital to gain an advantage within highly-competitive market conditions. With this relationship in view, English language proficiency constitutes a 'rational' educational pathway for national and personal-level success within an outwardly…

This paper addresses the intersection of testing and policy, situating test-driven impact and validation within the context of policy-led educational reform in Korea. I will briefly review the existing validation models. Then, arguing for an expansion of the conventional conceptualization of consequential validity research, I use Fairclough's…