ERIC Number: EJ1384072
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jul
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1474-9041
Transforming Language Brokering Policies at School: Learning from Students with Transnational Biographies
Thoma, Nadja; Draxl, Anna-Katharina
European Educational Research Journal, v22 n4 p463-481 Jul 2023
Within discourses on education and transnationalism, much importance has been given to language, both for the educational success of migrants and their transition into the labor market. Among the many perspectives on multilingualism, there is a growing body of research on language brokering. In contrast to professional interpreting, this is often associated with interpreting without formal qualifications or payment in mostly informal settings. However, language brokering is embedded in complex social structures, and students who interpret often act within complex power relations. In our article, we address experiences with education-related language brokering. While focusing on the perspectives of the students, we will address the roles they take during language brokering activities between different actors and the power relations they experience. Our data were collected as part of an ethnographic research project which aimed to explore the experiences of refugee students following their arrival in Austria and during the adjustment period in their new sociolinguistic and educational context. Empirically, the article is based on a data set of small stories and reflections about language brokering. The analysis was carried out through contrastive comparisons between different cases. The paper will conclude with suggestions on the introduction of critical language brokering practices and policies in educational institutions.
Descriptors: Language Usage, Refugees, Sociolinguistics, Native Language, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Power Structure, Ethnography, Foreign Countries, Translation, German, Educational Policy, Multilingualism, Social Structure, Student Attitudes, Student Role, Student Adjustment, Adjustment (to Environment), Decision Making, Peer Relationship, Academic Advising, Secondary School Students, Biographies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A