Leonardo Veliz
University of New England
Gary Bonar
Monash University
Abstract: Due to the increasingly diverse nature of classrooms in
Australia, a great deal of attention has been understandably dedicated to
the pedagogical approaches, resources and conditions needed to cater for
the needs of English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D)
learners in mainstream settings (see Dobinson & Buchori, 2016; Taplin,
2017). However, research has demonstrated that while the practices that
take place within the classroom are essential to supporting EAL/D
students, the institutional practices of the school community driven and
underpinned by school leaders’ positionings, views on and attitudes
towards diversity are fundamental to the creation and facilitation of
opportunities for teachers across the curriculum to support a socially-just
environment for all learners, including EAL/D students (Brooks et al.,
2010; Theoharis & O’Toole, 2011). To better understand the views of
school leaders, this article reports on a study into principals’ perceptions
about the diverse needs of EAL/D learners in mainstream settings.
Grounded in the premises of qualitative research methodologies (Stake,
2010), data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews
that explored (i) principals’ views on diversity, (ii) the perceptions and
positioning of EAL/D students in schools, and (iii) the role of suitable
pedagogical approaches and their commitment to opportunities for
professional learning to enhance responsiveness to EAL/D learners’
needs in mainstream settings. Thematic analysis of the interview data
revealed that principals’ views on diversity acknowledged the pervasive
presence of Anglophone teaching and leadership staff in school communities
which contributes to colourblind perspectives on and deficit framings of
School leadership attitudes
towards EAL/D students and
their commitment to professional
learning for diverse contexts
TESOL in Context, Volume 32, No.1, pp. 59-85
EAL/D students and of their needs. To address these systemic and
structural issues which heavily impact the classroom, principals indicated
that suitable pedagogical approaches are needed along with effective
avenues for professional learning (PL) to support EAL/D students in
mainstream classes. Though small scale in design, this study also
contributes empirical data to this under researched area of principals’
attitudes towards EAL/D students.
