Projects

Ongoing projects

Project: Components of Language Proficiency. (With Amber Dudley). We investigated what secondary school learners of French and Spanish can know and do after about 450 hours of instruction, just after their GCSE exams, and we also examined how they felt about their learning. Working with approximately 300 students aged 15-16, we elicited different kinds of evidence: (1) linguistic measures (vocabulary [including inferencing], morphosyntax [including syntax and derivational and inflectional morphology], and sound-writing relations ‘[phonics’, including read aloud and transcription); (2) affective measures (self-efficacy, motivation, attitudes); and (3) proficiency in four skills, reading, listening, writing, and speaking using GCSE scores and international tests DELE and DELF. We examined the nature of core components, to better understand the nature of linguistic knowledge at this level. We also examined how well these components, along with motivation-related measures, can explain proficiency scores. This project extended research into the relations between language knowledge and the ability to comprehend and produce meaning. We found strong evidence that vocabulary and grammar knowledge explained (predicted) a large proportion of variance in proficiency scores, and that adding motivation data did not generally provide a better model. We also found that lexical inferencing (the ability to work out unknown words) is strongly associated with prior vocabulary knowledge.

Project: MultilingProfiler. (With Natalie Finlayson and Laurence Anthony). We developed a unique lexical profiler—the MultilingProfiler—which is used by researchers, teachers, materials creators, and test developers. It provides detailed analyses of the vocabulary used in a text and allows users to compare the content of the text to a range of different word lists. We worked with researchers, awarding organisations, and the DfE to develop the word lists and functionality. Funded by the Department for Education, HEIF, Research England, and the University of York.    

Project: Language-Driven Pedagogy (2023 -; formerly National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP, 2018-2023): Understanding, improving and promoting language learning. (With Rachel Hawkes, Co-Director). We work with researchers, teacher educators, teachers, resource developers and policymakers to support research-informed teaching practices – focusing mainly on curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment. Over 1,500 classroom resources and professional development materials are freely available. Funded by the Department for Education (£5.2m), the ESRC IAA, Research England, HEIF, and the University of York. The curricula and materials have been revised and extended, led by Rachel Hawkes and funded by the Oak Online National Academy, and downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.