‘Research’ and ‘policy’ are often seen as two monolithic sides of a gap (Oliver et al 2014). While it is true that many of the 70 plus policy-related reports, investigations or substantial enquiries into languages education in Australia since the 1970s rely on inadequate or little quantitative program data (lo Bianco & Gvozdenko, 2006), we argue that the research/policy dichotomy underestimates the diversity in each type of process.
This paper explores a methodological approach developed in two recent collaborative studies between university researchers and education systems. A slice or ‘tranche’ approach (Extra & Yagmur 2004), combining large scale quantitative and survey data with local case studies, provides a two-way process whereby local perspectives can highlight the impact of broader policy issues, and aggregated data can enhance the analysis of local school data.
The first study, Maximising Australia’s Language Provisions: Exploring and Developing Language Resources across Sectors Schools and Communities (2011-2016) collected three types of data: statistical data and mapping of K-12 language provision and uptake, survey data of language attitudes skills and experiences of school staff (n=1062) and in-depth case studies of 42 schools including individual and focus group interviews with 130 secondary students on two sites Sydney and Wollongong. The second study, involving large scale survey (n=856) and interviews (n=47) with teachers in NSW Community Languages schools, focussed on the professional strengths and needs of teachers. Both studies involved close collaboration with educational authorities. Each study was characterised by recursive interaction between quantitative and interview/ discourse, case study and ethnographic data. In this first study this enabled the identification of SES differences from school case studies and the re-examination of survey, demographic and aggregated data to explore this factor. In the second study interview data analysis led to re-examination of multivariate analysis of teacher survey linking teacher attrition with student attendance.
We argue that more nuanced methodological approaches working in collaboration with government agencies enables the identification of specific issues and directions for language policy.
