Transforming Chinese secondary school students into emergent bilinguals in an English language classroom—A longitudinal pedagogical intervention that deploys translanguaging to stimulate agentive learning Cranfield University in United Kingdom

This is a mix-methods, longitudinal teaching innovation, lasting one semester. The context would be English language classrooms in a secondary school in China (either junior middle school or high school). Two classes will be involved respectively as the experimental class (which receives the translanguaging pedagogy) and the control class (which receives the conventional treatment). Below specifies two key aspects of this project.

1) A longitudinal teaching innovation that uses a translanguaging pedagogy

Translanguaging does not simply mean switching between two languages. Translanguaging pedagogy sees language learners as ‘emergent bilinguals’ who have access to diversified bilingual resources (languages, knowledge, experiences). Therefore, classroom activities will evoke such resources in the students (such as English and Chinese languages, varied genres, and other knowledge students can bring to the English classroom) and literacy mediums (e.g., story writing, poem translation, or news reading).

In particular, to make students achieve critical English language learning, we will design a series of classroom activities that can make students go cross boundaries and make meaningful connections between seemingly separate things (e.g., an activity which stimulates students to transform a Chinese poem into an English short story and makes them examine certain points of grammar in Chinese and English).

2) A study that combines a quasi-experimental design (experimental vs. conventional treatments) with ethnographic methods (longitudinal fieldwork, discourse/theme analysis)

This study does not only aim to measure the outcomes of the teaching intervention, it also aims to examine and illustrate the processes of this intervention, interpreting why and how individual students practice translanguaging. Therefore, this project deploys the following four major data collection methods:

• A questionnaire would be administered respectively at the beginning and the end of the pedagogical intervention, in both the experimental and the control class.
• Multiple English language tests will be administered in the experimental and the control classes—presumably one pre-test and two post-tests within the duration of the teaching intervention (one mid-term, one end of term).
• Discourse analysis will be conducted on the experimental class’s production of English texts. This data would be collected at least once every teaching week.
• Every teaching week, classroom talk and stimulated-recall-interviews will be collected through audio-recording in the experimental class.

For more information about doctoral scholarship and PhD programme at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), please visit:

https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/global/entry-requirements/

https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/global/fees-and-scholarship

Supervisors:

• Principal supervisor: Dr Yan Zhao (XJTLU)
• Co-supervisor: Professor Zhoulin Ruan (XJTLU)
• Co-supervisor: Dr Annarita Magliacane (UoL)

Requirements:

The candidate should have a first class or upper second class bachelor degree in English or Applied Linguistics, and/or a master’s degree (or equivalent qualification) in Applied linguistics or TESOL. Evidence of good spoken and written English is essential. The candidate should have an IELTS score of 6.5 or above, if the first language is not English. This position is open to all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality. However, the candidate should: 1) have very advanced Chinese proficiency, and 2) preferably be an experienced English language teacher in China who has an insider view into the local English language teaching curriculum and teaching culture, 3) and can gain entry into a Chinese secondary school, sustain teaching in two classes in this school, and can feasibly perform this pedagogical intervention in one of the classes for 10-15 weeks (daily teaching, data collection, some autonomy over classroom activities).

Degree:

The student will be awarded a PhD degree from the University of Liverpool (UK) upon successful completion of the program.

Funding:

The PhD studentship is available for three years subject to satisfactory progress by the student. The award covers tuition fees for three years (currently equivalent to RMB 99,000 per annum) and provides a monthly stipend of 5,000 RMB as a contribution to living expenses. It also provides up to RMB 16,500 to allow participation at international conferences during the period of the award. It is a condition of the award that holders of XJTLU PhD scholarships carry out 300-500 hours of teaching assistance work per year. The scholarship holder is expected to carry out the major part of his or her research at XJTLU in Suzhou, China. However, he or she is eligible for a research study visit to the University of Liverpool of up to six months, if this is required by the project.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants are advised to email [email protected] the following documents for initial review and assessment (please take time to carefully prepare the following documents; in the email, please put the project title in the subject line).

• CV
• Two reference letters with company/university letterhead
• Personal statement outlining your interest in the position. In particular, you must specify how you meet all the candidate requirements set in this document (especially the three points listed at the end of Requirements)
• One or two samples of classroom activity design. Please be specific. You may also include texts, PPTs or other materials to be used in this activity. The purpose is to demonstrate your understanding of translanguaging pedagogy (how translanguaging does not simply mean code-switching) and how you would design a classroom activity which uses a translanguaging pedagogy to teach specific knowledge points in the local curriculum (or textbook).
• Proof of English language proficiency (an IELTS score of 6.5 or above)
• Verified school transcripts in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)
• Verified certificates of education qualifications in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)
• PDF copy of Master Degree dissertation (or an equivalent writing sample) and examiners reports available

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Yan Zhao ( [email protected] ), whose personal profile is linked below:

https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/study/departments/school-of-humanities-and-socialsciences/department-of-applied-linguistics/department-staff/academic-staff/staff/yanzhao02