This interdisciplinary paper shows that investigating community language beliefs, as a pillar of language policy research, can be enriched by the principles of theory of mind. The case study is Malaysia where ethnonationalist law and policy elevates the language and culture of the Muslim Malay majority above those of citizens of Chinese and Indian…

In this paper we explore the nexus of language policy, ideology and power in the linguistic landscape of urban Rwanda. In post-genocide Rwanda, English has been promoted and gained status. This has led to an increased usage of English on shop signs in the streets of Kigali and other towns in Rwanda at the expense of both French and Kinyarwanda.…

This paper investigates the strategies of governance in the language policy "Chanting the Chinese Classics" (CCC) as deployed by State authorities, schools, and local communities. It highlights the strategy of 'viewing' as a nexus between language policy processes and traditional Chinese governing philosophy. To examine the connections…

This paper examines how children and teachers negotiate the official Turkish only language policy as they manage their linguistic resources (Turkish and Kurmanji) in one Turkish preschool serving predominantly emergent bilingual Kurdish minority children. Using a critical ethnographic lens to language-in-education policy making (Martin-Jones and…

Trilingual education policy is fomenting much debate among scholars and public intellectuals in Kazakhstan. However, parents' ideologies in relation to trilingual education are not heard although their participation in policy discussions is important since they play a key role in their children's education. Therefore, this article, through the…

This article examines the politics of curriculum design and evaluation in school settings globally. It examines the role of ideology and dominant meta-narratives of standards and academic achievement culture and its impact on education policy, curriculum design and implementation. The article discusses major models of curriculum design and their…

This article examines textual traces of the standard language ideology within current education policy in England, focusing on post-2010 reforms which are characterised by a (re)shift towards conservatism, discipline, and standards. Using tools and methods from critical stylistics and the critical discourse analysis of language policy, I…

The final decolonization of Timor-Leste, in 2002, happened during an era characterized by intensification of globalization processes and, as a result, the reconstruction of the country involved diverse types of multilateral and bilateral cooperation. The cooperation projects of Portugal and Brazil took on the main role in the development of local…

This paper will introduce the subject of language policies and practices in early childhood education across European migration societies and formulate theoretical and methodological questions. It links perspectives from applied linguistics, most explicitly sociolinguistics, and educational research on language (education) policies and practices,…

This article aims to identify the ideologies of school-head teachers towards a mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) policy and analyse how these ideologies influence the implementation of MTB-MLE policy in schools in the context of Nepal. Adopting qualitative ethnographic research, two school-level policy arbiters (head teachers)…

The processes of formulation of language policies have not been researched thoroughly. This paper aims to explore the relationship between ideas, power and agency in language policy-making and specifically with reference to the formulation of language-in-education policy for multilingualism in Ireland. Through an argumentative approach to language…

Universities are made up of people from different backgrounds, experiences, and identities. Assessing disparate impacts when developing policy and launching projects can improve outcomes. Leaders in the Office of the Registrar at Oregon State University implemented a structured, consistent process to review policy and manage projects using an…

Research into Family Language Policy (FLP) focuses on language planning by and among family members within home spaces. In this study we gather data from multilingual young adults with different backgrounds across Mexico through an online questionnaire. We use a trajectory approach to look at how FLP changes over time and space from the…

Since the passage of No Child Left Behind nearly twenty years ago, teachers' and students' educational experiences have been largely shaped by the high-stakes accountability system. The consequences of high-stakes accountability can be exacerbated in bilingual settings, because in these contexts often contradictory assessment policies and language…

In this opening commentary, we draw on Ruiz's (NABE J 8:15-34, 1984) metaphorical representations of language to outline the ideological and implementational spaces for language policy making in Greater China. In particular, we highlight how the 'resource' orientation allows different stakeholders to negotiate the development of language policies…