Experiences of teaching and learning in the adult ESL literacy classroom: a multi-site case study

This multi-site case study research project examines the experiences of teachers and adult ESL literacy learners within Australia’s Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program (LLNP). Drawing on elements of identity theory, positioning theory and culturally relevant pedagogy, it examines how teachers of adult ESL literacy learners position their learners vis-à-vis their teaching practices, and how their learners position themselves in response. The study draws on the concepts of investment (Norton, 2000; Norton Peirce, 1995) and imagined communities (Anderson, 1983; Norton, 2001) to explain how learners react to teachers’ positioning of them. The research findings indicate that teachers conceptualise their roles in markedly different ways, ranging from linguistic facilitators to social links between learners and the broader Australian community. This perception has a distinct effect on the ways in which they position their learners in the classroom. Drawing on in-depth interview and classroom observation data, the study discusses the extent to which learners appear to be invested in the language practices of the classroom, and the extent to which teachers’ practices tap into learners’ imagined communities. The findings suggest that both of these factors play an important role in determining the learners’ levels of engagement and participation in classroom learning activities.