RiPL network
All the members of the RiPL network are involved in research, working on projects which relate to children and second language or foreign language learning. These projects are exciting, innovative and interesting. Here, we present some of our members and the work that they are currently engaged in, or planning for the future.
Professor Florence Myles, Chair of RiPL
RiPL theme: The role of age in learning
Florence Myles is the Professor of Second Language Acquisition, Department of Language and Linguistics, at the University of Essex. She has directed numerous research projects funded by the ESRC, AHRC and the British Academy. She is the outgoing president of the European Second Language Association (EuroSLA), Director of the Centre for Research in Language Development throughout the Lifespan and co-author of the best-seller Second Language Learning Theories, now in its 3rd edition.
- Created an electronic database of both French learner language oral corpora and Spanish learner language oral corpora.
- Led an ESRC-funded investigation into the role of age in instructed SLA of French.
Bernardette Holmes MBE, Co-Chair of RiPL
Bernardette Holmes has advised government on current curriculum reform for modern languages in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. She is writer of the GCSE criteria for both modern and ancient languages and drafter of the new AS and A level Subject Content Criteria for French, German and Spanish. Bernardette received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2015 for services to languages education as a teacher and a modern languages advocate.
Conceptualised and led Born Global, a major policy research project by the British Academy.
- Took part in the three-year longitudinal study of Languages Learning at Key Stage 2 for the DCSF (2010).
Professor Janet Enever
RiPL theme: Curriculum models and curriculum policy
Janet Enever is a visiting professor at King’s College London in the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics. and professor emerita at Umeå University Sweden. Her research interests include the impact of globalisation on English language teaching, the politics of primary foreign language policy, language teacher education and primary EFL / FL teaching.
Author of Policy and Politics in Global Primary English.
- Director of the ElliE project.
Professor Suzanne Graham
RiPL theme: Transition from primary to secondary school
Suzanne Graham is Professor of Language and Education at the Institute of Education, University of Reading. Her research focuses on instructed foreign language learning by young learners, including the role of different teaching approaches and classroom conditions and how motivation for language learning develops during primary education and into secondary school.
Principal Investigator for the Nuffield Foundation longitudinal study, Primary Modern Languages: The impact of teaching approaches
Contributed to the development of the EU-funded The Language Magician computer game-based assessment tool.
Dr Rowena Kasprowicz
RiPL theme: Linguistic development and expectations
Rowena Kasprowicz is a lecturer in Second Language Education, Institute of Education, at the University of Reading. Her research focusses on instructed foreign language learning by young learners, including the effectiveness of explicit instruction for grammar teaching and learning, the role of explicit knowledge in learning, how differences between individual learners mediate the effectiveness of instruction, and the role of technology in language learning.
Member of the project team for the OASIS (Open Accessible Summaries In Language Studies) initiative.
- Works on the Gaming Grammar project.
Dr Gee Macrory
RiPL theme: Pedagogy and teacher expertise
Gee Macrory is a former Associate Head of School, and Principal Lecturer (School of Teacher Education and Professional Development) at the Manchester Metropolitan University, and now a Visiting Research Fellow. Her current research interests include bilingualism, classroom language learning and teacher education.
Former Associate Director of the DfES project ‘The provision of foreign language learning for pupils at KS2‘.
Former Project Manager for European-funded Technology Enhanced Language Learning Pedagogy.
Professor Rosamond Mitchell
RiPL theme: Linguistic development and expectations
Ros Mitchell is Professor Emeritus of Applied Linguistics at the University of Southampton. She originally trained as a secondary school languages teacher, and later became a researcher and lecturer at universities in Scotland (Stirling, Edinburgh) and England (Southampton). She has longstanding research interests in language learning and teaching, and has conducted classroom research in primary and secondary schools in Scotland and England.
- Co-director of the three-year longitudinal study of Languages Learning at Key Stage 2 for the DCSF (2010).
- Co-director of ESRC-funded investigation into the role of age in instructed SLA of French.
Professor Victoria Murphy
RiPL theme: Multilingualism and additional language learning
Victoria Murphy is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. She is the research group convener of the Applied Linguistics and the R.E.A.L. (Research in English as an Additional Language) research groups. Victoria’s area of research lies mainly within the realm of child L2/FL learning, vocabulary and literacy development.
Dr Alison Porter
RiPL theme: Literacy, foreign language learning and wider academic achievement
Alison Porter is a lecturer in Applied Linguistics (English Language Education) at the University of Southampton. Her research interests include classroom-based foreign language teaching and learning, especially foreign language pedagogy for school-age learners and the development of FL / L2 literacy. She has a particular interest in the role of cross-linguistic influence in language learning,
PhD study Funded by the ESRC +3 studentship.
Dr Ruth Fielding
RiPL theme: Content and Language Integrated Learning – CLIL
Ruth Fielding is Senior Lecturer in Languages and TESOL Education in the Faculty of Education at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia). She has researched in the area of multilingualism, identity and language teaching and learning since 2006. She is the author of Multilingualism in the Australian Suburbs (Springer, 2015) and a number of journal articles and chapters related to multilingual identity and language learning. Ruth has researched several aspects of the implementation of CLIL in primary schools in Australia with Prof Lesley Harbon since 2010.
Professor Lesley Harbon
RiPL theme: Content and Language Integrated Learning – CLIL
Lesley Harbon is Professor and Head of School (School of International Studies and Education, University of Technology Sydney, Australia). During her almost 40-year career, Lesley has taught foreign languages at primary, secondary and university level. She has been involved with pre-service language teacher education, has supervised more than 10 doctoral research higher degree projects to completion, and continues to research and publish in the areas of bilingual/CLIL education, language teacher professional development, and intercultural languages education. Lesley has been an active member of language teacher professional associations.
President of the Australian peak professional language teacher body, the AFMLTA, for four years between 2008–2011.
Dr Angela Tellier
Administrative Coordinator for RiPL
Angela is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex. A qualified language teacher, her research interests include the development of metalinguistic awareness and language aptitude in children learning in instructed contexts, the role of explicit teaching and learning, and the potential benefits of ‘starter’ languages.
Albert Valdman Award 2019 for outstanding publication: “The role of language-analytic ability in children’s instructed second language learning”.