Australian Review of Applied Linguistics - Volume 45, Issue 1, 2022

Abstract

The increasing internationalization of education has brought diversification to university student populations. The demographic changes pose great challenges to interview practice as interviews are increasingly occurring in cross-cultural contexts and often involve participants from diverse cultural backgrounds. Recent research has demonstrated that the cultural identity of the interviewer, in particular, the insider or outsider positioning relative to the participants, can impinge upon the quantity and quality of the collected interview data and research outcomes. In this paper, we go beyond this conception of interviewer as either a cultural insider or outsider to examine how multiple identities and positionings are enacted by interviewer and interviewees in order to achieve intersubjectivity, or common ground, in cross-cultural research interviews. The paper contributes to understanding the complexity of cross-cultural interviews, in particular, the impact of positioning processes on the establishment of intersubjectivity and data construction.

Abstract

Pennington and Richards (2016) argue that if the medium of instruction (MOI) is not the native language of the instructor, lack of proficiency in the MOI could bring about a lack of confidence. This study inquired how native Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) teachers at tertiary institutions in New Zealand and Australia perceive their English proficiency, how it influences their linguistic identity, and how the fact that they are native speakers of the target language influences their linguistic identity. Based on responses from an online questionnaire with more than 50 respondents as well as 12 follow-up individual interviews, this study argues that their linguistic identity is not narrowly conceived around their non-nativeness in English and nativeness in Japanese, but constructed from more multi-faceted aspects of language teacher identity formation, especially by factors pertinent to the very nature of the tertiary teaching environment in these countries.

Abstract

There is a lack of research on evidence-based intervention in relation to the issue of L2 variations in secondary schools. This study addresses some conceptual problems of L2, proposing a four-quadrant model of language processes. This model provides a framework to identify students’ L2 developmental stages. With an action research method, the data were collected from 126 Chinese language learners in Australia over a 4-year period (2016–2020). The main instruments were questionnaires, class observations, informal interviews, and student feedback. The findings revealed that most learners were initially motivated to learn the Chinese language in year 9, even if they were at varying stages of L2 development. While several factors were interplayed to affect their language experience, the findings underscored the implementation of a range of plausible interventions. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured by student engagement, and further backed by the retention rates of year 12 students. This study provides a beginning to the evidence base, necessary to design Chinese language interventions in Australia.

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of cultural and politico-religious dominance on the practice of critical reading (CR) of texts by a group of Iranian postgraduate students in Australia. Four postgraduate students were interviewed individually four times (each time for reading one text) for critical understanding of two pairs of Persian texts, each with opposing viewpoints, on current socio-political and nationalistic debates of Iran. They were then involved in a focus group discussion for further critique of each other’s viewpoints. Findings indicate two major Persian constructs that influence CR: hefz-e zaaher ‘keeping up appearances’ and ta’sob/gheyrat, approximating to ‘one’s honor combined with prejudice and bigotry’. Findings also reveal that participants’ CR is contributed by heavy emotional attachment to nationalistic views engendered by Persian poetry. Chafe (1982), too, found that emotional attachment in appraising text was true with American English speakers. Finally, the focus group discussion had a slight impact on encouraging CR. Overall, it seems that participants’ repositioned journeys in Australia have influenced their perspective.

Abstract

This article reports on a study in which journal publication performance of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (AL/TESOL) academics in the Group of Eight (Go8) Australian universities was examined for each academic rank (Lecturer to Professor) and across apparent genders (females and males). Journal publication performance was defined in terms of productivity (number of articles), academic impact (number of citations to those articles), and quality (journal impact factor and quartile rankings). To this end, journal publications of 65 Go8 AL/TESOL academics were identified over 19 years (2000–2018 inclusive). Normative research profiles are provided for each academic level and across two genders and are discussed in light of the literature. Where appropriate, a critical view has also developed concerning issues such as “publish or perish” and “gender gap” in academic publication. Results and discussion of results can contribute to a better understanding of AL/TESOL journal article production in Go8 universities as a reference group.

This article reviews Communicating identities978-1-138-29552-0