Impact
The RCLC’s research aims to have a direct impact on practice through the implementation of our research. Some examples of the ways in which our work has influenced professional practice include:
Our work in the area of intercultural language teaching and learning has been the most important work we have undertaken in terms of its impact on professional practice. Our research in this area has lead directly to a number of developments in languages education in Australia and overseas.
In particular, our research work has provided the basis for two large national level professional development activities:
- The Asian Languages Professional Learning Project (ALPLP)
- The Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning in Practice Project (ILTLP).
Through these projects, over 700 teachers have participated in sustained classroom-based investigations based around intercultural language teaching and learning. The evaluations of these projects have consistently shown a positive impact on both teachers’ professional knowledge and students’ learning, especially greater engagement in language learning.
Our work in international education has included projects in which individual teachers have worked to develop internationalised curricula in particular disciplines. This work has influenced professional learning for teachers and academics and has also shaped policies in international education at UniSA and other universities.