








































From the Editors 
 

Rethinking Policies, Procedures, 
and Practices Surrounding 
Language Learning and Learners 

GATESOL Journal 
2021, Vol. 31(1), pp. 1–2 
doi:10.52242/gatesol.126 

ISSN: 2331-6845 

 
 
Robert A. Griffin 
University of West Georgia 
 
David L. Chiesa 
University of Georgia 
 
 
The summer 2021 issue of GATESOL Journal is replete with research-based insights and strategies 
for supporting multilingual learners in varied teaching contexts. The five articles in this issue 
address ways to better equip multilingual learners for success in an increasingly diverse and 
multicultural society. One common thread throughout the issue is the rethinking of policies, 
procedures, and practices that surround language learning and learners. As the Delta variant of 
SARS-CoV-2 is on the rise and the future of K–12 and higher education continues to remain 
uncertain, we sincerely hope this issue of GATESOL Journal provides our wide conglomerate of 
readers—from K–12 mainstream and ESOL teachers to researchers and teacher educators in and 
outside of Georgia institutions of higher learning to state policymakers—ideas they can take back 
with them to their respective spheres of influence to make a lasting difference in how we do 
language teaching and learning in Georgia and beyond. 
 
Rethinking Policies and Procedures Impacting Language Learning and Learners  
In the first article in this issue, “The Perceived Metalinguistic and Cognitive Influences of 
Bilingual Education,” Margaret Ashton and Dr. Eliana Hirano employ qualitative methods to 
investigate the perceptions of individuals who had participated in K–12 bilingual education 
programs. They interviewed 10 individuals who had spent at least four years in a K–12 bilingual 
education setting to determine trends in self-perceived outcomes of bilingual instruction. They 
found recurring insights regarding both metalinguistic and cognitive abilities among their 
participants. For example, all participants reported metalinguistic awareness of grammar between 
their L1s and English, while others described enhanced cognitive skills which facilitated their 
learning of an L3. Interviewees who had spent more time in a bilingual setting struggled to come 
up with specific examples regarding how their bilingual education may have influenced them. 
Most notably, Ashton and Hirano discuss the implications of their study on emerging dual 
language immersion (DLI) programs in Georgia, recommending programs invest in promoting to 
students and parents the non-linguistic benefits of their bilingual education programs. 

The next article in this issue, a literature review by Shuang Fu titled “Breaking the Silence: 
A Critical Review of Language Policy and Planning for Long-Term English Learners,” critically 
examines policies surrounding long-term English learners (LTELs), which Fu defines as 
multilingual learners who are still receiving language support services after being in a U.S. school 
for 6 or more years. She organizes her review of 19 peer-reviewed journal articles along the three 
strands of the language planning and policy (LPP) paradigm: language management, language 



2 GATESOL Journal 31(1)  
 

ideology, and language practice. Fu elucidates the stereotypes, struggles, and challenges LTELs 
face, and argues for distinct policy changes: alternative measures of language proficiency beyond 
standardized English language proficiency (ELP) tests, abandonment of labels to classify 
multilingual students, and resistance to established hegemonies to promote positive learning 
experiences and equitable outcomes for multilingual learners. 

In their article titled “Supporting Practitioner Inquiry in Teacher Education: Opportunities 
and Challenges in ESOL Contexts,” Drs. Lindsey Chapman, Chelsea Morris, and Katherine Green 
endorse the implementation of practitioner inquiry in teacher preparation programs to help teachers 
better address the needs of emergent bi/multilingual students. They describe the experiences of 
two teacher candidates to emphasize both opportunities and challenges when using practitioner 
inquiry. For example, they describe how one candidate was able to overcome misconceptions 
about adopting a translanguaging pedagogy in their classroom through support from their mentor 
teacher, field experience supervisor, and the student’s own analysis of the practitioner literature 
base. Among other recommendations for teacher preparation programs, they recommend teacher 
candidates keep a journal to record their initial wonderings, field notes, pictures of student artifacts, 
and notes on relevant literature from their ESOL coursework. 
 
Rethinking Strategies to Enhance Student Language Learning 
The last two articles published in this issue are teaching techniques pieces. In her article titled 
“(Re)Imagining Multilingual Learners: Using Photo Stories to Honor Students’ Strengths, 
Interests, and Experiences,” Dr. Jennifer Allen highlights photo stories as a literacy strategy that 
fosters critical and productive dialogue among educators and students. This dialogue, Allen argues, 
can help teachers recognize, appreciate, and even celebrate the diverse languages, cultures, 
interests, and life experiences present in their classrooms. She shares the steps involved in inviting 
students to create personal photo stories that honor their lived experiences. 

Finally, in their piece titled “Enhancing Intensive English Program Reading and Writing 
Courses through Integrated-Skill Activities,” Dr. Adil Bentahar and Kenneth Cranker describe an 
approach they have utilized in their foundation-year intensive English program (IEP) at the 
University of Delaware. The approach, one that integrates listening and speaking skills with 
instruction and assessment in reading and writing courses, has shown promising results in regard 
to enhancing students’ reading and writing skills. They argue an integrated-skill approach is more 
closely aligned with the kinds of tasks students typically encounter in university classrooms. 
Examples of some integrated-skill activities they have used in their IEP classrooms are at the core 
of this piece. 
 

This issue of GATESOL Journal showcases the work of scholars across the state and 
beyond who are committed to challenging the status quo and are actively seeking innovative ways 
to rethink policies, procedures, and practices surrounding language learning and learners. We trust 
our readers, all of whom we know share similar commitments, will find the research- and 
practitioner-based articles in this issue helpful as they too reconsider what constitutes effective and 
equitable language learning. 
 
 

____________________________________________________________________________ 
 

Published: July 30, 2021 


	Rethinking Policies, Procedures, and Practices Surrounding Language Learning and Learners
	GATESOL Journal2021, Vol. 31(1), pp. 1–2
	doi:10.52242/gatesol.126
	ISSN: 2331-6845

