My research focuses on language policy, multilingualism, and multilingual education, with a broad interest in the mismatch between the vibrant multilingualism going on in everyday spaces of the contemporary Pacific and the stilted monolingualism that we often find as soon as we enter formal institutions. I am currently leading three projects:
“Multilingual ECCE: Bringing language policy to life in the Grade 1 classroom” (with Rajendra Prasad), in which we investigate Grade 1 teacher talk in a range of schools across multilingual Fiji. We analyse the complexity of teacher talk (number of languages, range of vocabulary, proportion of different utterance types, and range of functions), in attempt to provide some empirical grounding to the debate: Is it really too complex to implement multilingual education?
"Linguistic landscapes of the contemporary Pacific" (in collaboration with undergraduate students), in which we compare the visual representation of languages in urban spaces with the highly multilingual 'soundtracks' of these cities. The researchers are: Salanieta Koro, Fiji; Jim Gure, Vanuatu; 'Elenoa Veikune, Tonga; Timothy Rongoau, Solomon Islands; Nanise Senikabuta, Marshall Islands; Tereise Vaifale, Samoa; Reita Ienraoi, Kiribati. "Moving academic literacy support into the mainstream" (with Tilisi Bryce, Ralph Buadromo, Rajendra Prasad and Aluwesi Fonolahi), in which we evaluate students' engagement with academic literacy support built into a first-year linguistics course delivered via blended and online modes. Click here to read more about this project. |
I have previously taught English in both Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, developing an interest in the complete mismatch between the multilingualism outside the classroom and the stilted monolingualism within its walls. Since 2006, I have been interested in the potential for change to the situation in Vanuatu, in which some children are educated through English and others through French, while the remaining 100+ languages are banned from the classroom. I have combined ethnography and discourse analysis to examine the way language is used and talked about within the domain of education, identifying a number of familiar arguments against multilingual education that circulate unchallenged. I demonstrate the contradictory nature of many of these arguments, in an attempt to encourage new ways of looking at the issue and to move towards a more effective language-in-education policy. My most recent paper on the topic (analysis of a social media debate about a change in medium of instruction policy) went on to generate further debate on social media, so I'm enjoying being able to discuss research ideas with the people for whom this work is most relevant.
Current research students
Roshila Singh (PhD Applied Linguistics)
A case study of academic literacy socialisation at the University of the South Pacific
'Ana Heti Veikune (PhD Applied Linguistics)
Using storytelling to develop oracy in the Tonga primary classroom
Tupou Singh (MA Applied Linguistics)
How primary school students in Fiji learn (or don’t learn) present and past tense: A study using the CEFR – English Grammar Profile Online
Vimal Kumar (MA Applied Linguistics)
A Study on Text Complexity across the School Curriculum in Fiji: Readability & Lexical Coverage
Shaleshni Prasad (MA Applied Linguistics)
Enhancement of oral proficiency within an undergraduate EAP course
Former research students
Evangeline Narayan (MA Applied Linguistics, 2021)
In search of principles of Second Language Acquisition in the design and unpacking of Fiji's English syllabus
Wilfred Fimone (MA Linguistics, 2020)
Variation and change of glottal stop deletion in Rotuman
Roshila Singh (PhD Applied Linguistics)
A case study of academic literacy socialisation at the University of the South Pacific
'Ana Heti Veikune (PhD Applied Linguistics)
Using storytelling to develop oracy in the Tonga primary classroom
Tupou Singh (MA Applied Linguistics)
How primary school students in Fiji learn (or don’t learn) present and past tense: A study using the CEFR – English Grammar Profile Online
Vimal Kumar (MA Applied Linguistics)
A Study on Text Complexity across the School Curriculum in Fiji: Readability & Lexical Coverage
Shaleshni Prasad (MA Applied Linguistics)
Enhancement of oral proficiency within an undergraduate EAP course
Former research students
Evangeline Narayan (MA Applied Linguistics, 2021)
In search of principles of Second Language Acquisition in the design and unpacking of Fiji's English syllabus
Wilfred Fimone (MA Linguistics, 2020)
Variation and change of glottal stop deletion in Rotuman