Focus areas
Languages and cultures in education
In a context of increasing internationalisation and globalisation,
developing capabilities in languages and cultures is an indispensable part
of education. The RCLC is committed to a program of research in this area in
which the development of learners’ interculturality is central. We have
adopted this focus because language and culture are fundamentally related
and this relationship is at the heart of successful communication across
languages and cultures. We develop our focus in a range of aspects of
languages education including: language pedagogy, language curriculum theory
and development, technology in language education, language teacher
education, language assessment, language evaluation and second language
acquisition.
International education
International education has become a key priority for educational
institutions around the world. For the RCLC a serious commitment to
international education involves examining what the international means for
all teaching and learning, not just for the education of international
students. Our research interests in this area include: conceptualisations of
international education; internationalisation of curriculum, pedagogy and
assessment; intercultural aspects of international education; international
education and globalisation; and international education and professional
practice.
Language and culture in the professions
Our focus on the professions involves applied research within a broadly
educational agenda. In studying the professions we aim to contribute to the
development of professions and their capability to address linguistic and
cultural issues related to their work. This involves the RCLC in a research
agenda which examines how language and culture are implicated
in professional settings and the nature of the internationalisation of
professional work. For us, the focus is strongly on the intercultural
dimensions of professional work and examining how the various cultures
involved – national, professional, etc. – interact in workplaces.
Social and political contexts of languages and cultures
The investigation of the social and political contexts of languages and cultures is an important part of the overall research agenda of the RCLC. Our belief is that languages and cultures cannot be researched independently from the contexts in which they are situated, and the Centre actively seeks to engage communities in ongoing dialogue on questions of language and culture that matter to them. In particular, our research interests focus on language planning and policy (especially as they relate to education), multicultural and intercultural studies, sociolinguistics and the study of identity.