“I am scared. I am so scared”: Cross-curricular language learning experiences of Russian-speaking pupils in London primary schools

The proposal presents the initial findings from a PhD enquiry into the language learning experiences of English as additional language migrant children with Russian as a first language in London state primary schools in middle childhood (7-11 years old). The following research questions provide the foci for this enquiry – 1. What experiences/issues do Russian-speaking migrant children have in a L2 (second language) English school environment in middle childhood? 2. Why do Russian-speaking pupils have certain experiences? 3. How do the Russian-speaking migrant children’s issues/experiences co-affect their personality development and language learning motivation in the L2 school environment of English schools? Research into the area of Russian-speaking migrant children with English as an additional language (EAL) is pertinent to the schools given that the percentage of newly-arrived EAL students with Russian as first language in the UK state-funded primary schools has nearly tripled in just 8 years (from 3,511 pupils to 9,722 pupils) (Department for Education, 2016; Makarova and Morgunova, 2009). Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory (SCT), purports that children’s personality development, i.e. change of socio-cultural environment, and consequently language, influences overall psychological and personality development process (Lantolf and Poehner, 2014; Vygotsky, 2005). This is particularly significant, given that Russian-speaking children in England with respect to issues associated with their linguistic and pedagogical needs are exacerbated by their reported ‘invisibility’ (Kopnina, 2005). The methodology comprises an interpretive paradigm employing a qualitative multiple case study research approach with embedded ethnography and interviews with creative techniques. The potential outcome of this paper is to contribute to the discussion related to the language learning experiences of migrant pupils, their language learning motivations and personality development related issues. More broadly, the study could contribute to comparative studies with other migrant groups or studies of Russian-speaking pupils in other age groups and school settings.