This qualitative ethnographic study investigates students' agency of a language policy in a Colombian public university. Participants were 85 undergraduate students, and data collection involved document analysis, non-participatory observation, a questionnaire, and a portfolio. Three categories emerged from the analysis: acceptance, rejection, and…

This article uses a 'follow the thing' methodology to trace the trajectory of the so-called word gap from its original conception in 1990s US academic knowledge production through to a teacher education programme and three schools in the north of England, in the mid-2020s. It focuses on one teacher's first encounters, reproduction, and ultimately…

In recent years, China has implemented a national language policy promoting the use of Putonghua (Standard Chinese) in ethnic minority schools. This study investigates how mesolevel institutions (i.e., schools) have responded to this macro-level national language policy change, and how the institutional policy changes have affected Korean-Chinese…

For over two decades, emergent bilingual students in Arizona have languished under the state's English-only Structured English Immersion policies. Using Theo Van Leeuwan's (2007) legitimation in discourse framework, this study longitudinally tracks shifts in legitimation tactics across the four iterations of the policy--its inception with…

Over the past two decades, heightened migration has increased linguistic diversity in schools. For schools to cope with this multilingualism, many governments impose a monolingual policy where only the language of instruction is allowed. Although many schools adopt such a policy, the classroom practices may differ since multilingual students often…

The Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) is a language education policy adopted by states to recognize students' biliteracy. Originally implemented in high schools to recognize graduating seniors, the initiative also includes pathway awards, which can be implemented in earlier grades to promote lengthier language study and increase biliteracy attainment.…

This article draws on the case of conflict-affected and multilingual Cameroon to analyze how education materials address national unity and multilingualism amidst an identity crisis fueled by tensions between Anglophones and a central government accused of favoring Francophones. Through a discourse analysis of one policy document, 13 curricula,…

This positioning paper maps the landscape of family foreign language education planning (FFLEP) research in China, framing key issues and future directions within the broader context of language acquisition planning studies. FFLEP is conceptualized as a dynamic process where families actively engage in planning and implementing foreign language…

This article is inspired by Lo Bianco's theory of discourse planning. Using the case of Indonesia's second president Soeharto, the article demonstrates the usefulness of Lo Bianco's theory to understand how language was instrumental in the discourse planning of "Pembangunan" [Development], and as such, in understanding the nexus of…

The relationship between national languages and schooling is a recurring theme in Derrida's writings on education, playing an important role in the challenge he mounts to traditional understandings of the French State's involvement in the teaching of philosophy. In this essay, I follow this thread of thinking across several of Derrida's texts,…

This study employs Bernstein's concept of "recontextualization" and Rata's theorization of the "Curriculum Design Coherence [CDC] model" as theoretical tools to analyse the "Curriculum Standard for Chinese Language" ["Standard"] (The "Standard," the "Guidance," the "Plan and"…

This study aims to examine the evolution and transformation of instructional methods in Turkish Language Curricula between 1926 and 2024. Utilizing a qualitative research design within the framework of the document analysis method, the study analyzes primary and secondary level Turkish language curricula published in the years 1926, 1929, 1930,…

The paper presents some general facts about Bulgarian, which is spoken by over 8 million people all over the world and is the official language of the Republic of Bulgaria. It is shown that language diversity within the country has been relatively constant and modest over the last 90 years (with a clear dominance of Bulgarian). The focus of the…

Globalism is a neoliberally influenced focus on world markets and the knowledge economy particularly from the perspective of transnational economic entities. Nationalism concentrates on promoting the country as an entity distinct and special among other countries. When combined, as in Kazakhstan's case, the two perspectives constitute a paradox.…

This article examines the possibilities and challenges in turning a top-down action research project led by high-level public authorities into a shared and collaborative, multi-site and multi-professional bottom-up action research project. For this purpose, the article explores the initial stages of a European level action research project called…