Blurring English language binaries: a decolonial analysis of multilingualism with(in) EAL/D education

Abstract

This article aims to visibilise the opportunities for decolonising standardised language practices for multilingual students learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) in Australian schools. We suggest that a decolonising approach to language education would value the multilingual, non-standard, and diverse language practices of learners. Using the Australian state of Queensland as a case study, we trace examples of decolonising language practices highlighted by teachers in focus groups and analyse these examples using a theoretically- informed, reflexive thematic analysis to unpack how teachers disrupt colonial binaries in EAL/D education. Our findings show that teachers encourage multilingualism, relationality, and the discomfort of unknowing but are confronted with practical barriers that limit their capacity to enact this further. As such, we outline the implication for EAL/D education and teacher education.