Abstract/Summary

The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to examine if a professional development intervention, known as the Enduring Principles of Learning (EPL), could improve primary-aged multilingual learners' English proficiency in England. The EPL intervention was delivered to four experimental teachers, two of whom taught pupils in Year 1 (aged 5- 6) and two of which taught pupils in Year 4 (aged 8-9), over a period of six months. This meant that experimental pupils (n = 85) received EPL-oriented teaching whereas a control school with pupils in matched year groups (n = 70) continued with standard teaching practice. Bespoke pre- and post-tests, measuring pupils' English proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, writing and based on World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) materials were drawn upon to assess the efficacy of the EPL on pupil outcomes. These were complemented by the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (Dunn et al., 1997) to provide a control measure of pupils' English vocabulary. Interviews with pupils were also conducted, to gain an insight into pupils’ perspectives regarding the use of EPL in their classrooms during the intervention period. The findings suggest that across both year groups, multilingual learners in experimental classrooms made greater pre- and post-test progress in their listening skills than their control peers. This was also reflected in Year 1 speaking and Year 4 reading skills. However, the effects of the EPL intervention on pupils’ writing were less in evidence. Contextual factors and qualitative data in this study are brought together to discuss these quantitative results in detail. This study contributes meaningful insights into the type of classroom-oriented language proficiency tests which could be used in understanding how professional development for teachers directly impacts on multilingual learners developing their English language and literacy skills. Implications for multilingual pedagogy and practice are also considered, in addition to limitations and potential avenues for further research.