Special Interest Group
Supporting the development of languages and literacies in a multilingual world
This SIG aims to bring together researchers and practitioners working in a range of areas related to the development of languages and literacies. We take a broad view of both terms which encompasses various dimensions of languages education (e.g. first language(s), additional language(s), modern language(s) etc.) and literacies education (e.g. print, visual, digital, cultural etc.). We aim to explore key issues around supporting the development of languages and literacies among learners at all levels. By bringing together researchers from these various perspectives we aim to contribute to key discussions in research, practice and policy.
Professor in TESOL and Education at Ulster University
Barbara Skinner is a Professor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)and Education in the School of Education at Ulster University. Barbara lectures on a range of teacher education courses. She is involved with doctoral...
Associate Professor in Education at University of Cambridge
Karen Forbes is an associate professor in second language education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. Before completing her PhD in 2016, Karen taught modern languages in secondary schools in England and has also worked as an...
The aim of this event is to expand our understanding of how to capture and authentically represent the voices of participants in language and literacy research. Through this symposium we hope to...
What are English as Second Language and English as Foreign Language teachers’ beliefs concerning multilingualism? And how do they adapt their teaching to take into account students’ diverse...
Continue reading blog postThe BERA Conference 2023 was held on the 12th-14th September 2023 at Conference Aston/Aston University. Keynote speakers included: Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith. The conference ended with three...
A survey of research on the acquisition of preliteracy skills in children’s first language (L1) has provided an important starting point from which the unique circumstances of bilingual children...
Continue reading blog postUnheard voices in education research
Supported by BERA’s 2022/23 Small Grants Fund, this project sought to understand assessment procedures that professionals across the UK employ to identify students with dyslexia. Through a...
Charting possibilities, challenges & recommendations
This series of reports presents the findings and recommendations of six research projects funded by BERA’s 2022/23 Small Grants Fund (SGF) on the theme ‘learning for all’. The projects...
