An investigation exploring the extent ‘EAL Steps for Classroom Integration’ is effective in primary school language teaching

The purpose of this study was to ascertain teacher perspectives on the use of ‘EAL steps for Classroom Integration’ as a tool to support teachers of international new arrivals with their daily planning; from teaching suggestions for themselves to preparing suitable activities and assessment. A need was felt for the research following the understanding that although there is ample information available for teaching English as an additional language in schools, research has shown teachers to feel underprepared from the absence of clear guidance. The author has carefully selected and presented information ‘in a nutshell’ and offered it to participants to guide their professional duty of ensuring integration of new arrivals in their classes. Data was collected through two interviews and a focus group. The interviews, taking a before and after approach directly compared responses, with the focus group as an opportunity to corroborate findings. This short study saw an impressive turnaround in approaches used by participants who were able to engage learners and see progression through the changes that had been made to teaching strategies. It created confident and proficient, practicing EAL teachers with motivated learners, leading to the recommendation that ‘EAL steps for Classroom Integration’ should be widely available.