To what extent do Australian universities offer dedicated units to prepare pre-service teachers to support EAL/D learners?

Carly Steele; Julian Chen; Kim  Andreassen; Toni Dobinson; Stephanie Dryden; Leonardo Veliz; David Partridge; Michael Michell; Margaret Turnbull; Marisa Schiavi; Belinda  Stewart

doi:10.21153/tesol2025vol33no2art2108

Authors

Carly Steele Curtin University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4587-1654
Julian Chen Curtin University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7788-0462
Kim Andreassen Curtin University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1767-3813
Toni Dobinson Curtin University
Stephanie Dryden Curtin University
Leonardo Veliz University of New England https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2489-7484
David Partridge University of New England https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4509-6304
Michael Michell University of New South Wales
Margaret Turnbull University of Wollongong
Marisa Schiavi Catholic Education Western Australia
Belinda Stewart WATESOL

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2025vol33no2art2108

Keywords:

Initial Teacher Education (ITE), pre-service teachers, English as an Additional Language and/or Dialect (EAL/D), multilingual learners, Australian classrooms, teacher standards

Abstract

Framed by social justice perspectives, in this article, we present our findings from an audit of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degrees offered by Australian universities. The purpose is to establish which degrees (and universities) offered dedicated English as an Additional Language and/or Dialect (EAL/D) units that explicitly and solely focus on EAL/D learning and teaching, as core units or elective units, or as a specialisation for secondary ITE courses. To do this, we analysed the publicly available unit titles and descriptions on university websites for 37 Australian universities, representing 215 undergraduate and postgraduate ITE degrees in early childhood, primary and secondary education offered in 2024 and the beginning of 2025. The data were categorised using an EAL/D unit identification tool that we developed. Our findings show that while some universities are preparing teachers to support the EAL/D learners in their classrooms, many are not. This is tied to the accreditation process for ITE degrees and the role that the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) teacher standards play. Given the clear need, this lack of recognition and failure to adequately allocate resources towards meeting the needs of EAL/D learners is a social justice issue, and we end with a plea for change in this area.

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Author Biographies

Carly Steele, Curtin University

Carly Steele (ORCID: 0000-0003-4587-1654) is an applied linguist and a fully qualified teacher with over 12 years’ experience in diverse teaching contexts across Australia including urban cities, and rural and remote communities. She has lectured in initial teacher education courses in university settings since 2019 and completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2021. Her research focuses on how language learners are positioned in schools with the aim to promote culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and assessment practices. Carly primarily engages in participatory action research in collaboration with classroom teachers.
Julian Chen, Curtin University

Julian Chen (they/them) is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics/TESOL and the Course Coordinator of Asian Languages at the School of Education, Curtin University. Julian's research synergises technology-enhanced language learning, task-based language teaching, virtual reality, inclusive pedagogy, and participatory action research. Julian is the former Book Review Editor of Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, and Editor of Emergency Remote Teaching and Beyond (2021, Springer), and author of Second Life as a Virtual Playground for Language Education (2022, Routledge).
Kim Andreassen, Curtin University

Kim Andreassen (they/them) (ORCID: 0000-0002-1767-3813) is a School Program Coordinator for Act Belong Commit at Curtin University, Western Australia. They are an educational sexologist with a focus on diversity and inclusion for historically marginalised populations in research and education. Kim holds qualifications in sexology, education, and business analytics, and is a current PhD candidate at Curtin University. Their thesis focuses on best practice accessible consent education for people with disability aged 12-16 years of age, emphasising non-speaking consent. Their current research and project work focuses on queering curriculum projects, EAL/D education advocacy, and disability advocacy particularly related to comprehensive sexuality education.
Toni Dobinson, Curtin University

Toni Dobinson is a Professor, Post Graduate Course Coordinator and Discipline Lead in Applied Linguistics, TESOL and Languages in the School of Education at Curtin University, Western Australia and a provider institution in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam. She researches in the areas of language teacher education, language and identity, language and social justice, translingual practices and translingual discrimination. She has worked and collaborated extensively on research projects in migrant and refugee communities in the City of Canning, Gosnells, and Wanneroo, in Western Australia, and has an ongoing participatory action research project with a local multilingual primary school.
Stephanie Dryden, Curtin University

Stephanie Dryden (ORCID:0000-0001-6765-7005), PhD, is a Research Assistant at Curtin University and Batchelor Institute in the disciplines of Applied Linguistics and Education. She has a background of teaching English as an additional language in Australia, Colombia, and Vietnam. She has published multiple peer-reviewed research articles in international journals, on the topics of sociolinguistics, translanguaging, semiotics, linguistic discrimination, and foreign language anxiety.
Leonardo Veliz, University of New England

Leonardo Veliz is Associate Professor in language and literacy education at the University of New England. He is the Head of the Curriculum Department and Lead of the Language, Literacy and Pedagogy Research Strategic Group. His research centres on broad issues of languages and literacy education in Australia and overseas. He’s currently editing volumes on multiculturalism, multilingualism, literacies in the Global South and language teacher agency.
David Partridge, University of New England

David Partridge is an experienced educator with a demonstrated history of working in the education leadership industry. He is skilled in staff development, educational leadership, teaching, curriculum development, and EALD education. He is a qualified teacher and education professional with a Master of Arts (MA) in German Language and Literature and a Master of Applied Linguistics (MAAL) from the University of New England (AU).
Michael Michell, University of New South Wales

Michael Michell is an honorary lecturer at the UNSW School of Education where he worked as a lecturer in language and literacy education. For the majority of his career, he was an English as a second language (ESL) teacher in the NSW Department of Education and worked in senior advisor roles leading ESL assessment, curriculum, research and professional learning projects and policy development. Michael was President of Australian Council of TESOL Associations (ACTA), 2015-2020. He worked with Margaret Turnbull in the development, implementation and analysis of the 2016 State of EAL/D Education survey. He is currently President of ATESOL NSW.
Margaret Turnbull, University of Wollongong

Margaret Turnbull is a Principal Policy Analyst for the NSW Department of Education, Centre for Educational Statistics and Evaluation. In this role she has initiated literacy and EAL/D research and has worked on the development of the ACARA National Literacy Learning Progressions. For the majority of her career, she has worked as an EAL/D specialist as an Instructional Leader and EAL/D teacher at culturally and linguistically diverse schools in South Western Sydney and as the coordinator of the EAL/D program in NSW Department of Education. She is currently undertaking doctoral research at the University of Wollongong.
Marisa Schiavi, Catholic Education Western Australia

Marisa Schiavi is the EAL/D and Languages Team Coordinator at Catholic Education Western Australia, providing system-level leadership in multilingual and multicultural education. She has extensive teaching and leadership experience working with migrant, refugee, international and First Nations EAL/D students across a range of educational settings, including EAL/D students in the mainstream, Intensive English Units, bilingual schools and adult language programs, both nationally and internationally. Marisa holds undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Applied Linguistics and TESOL, Languages Education, Translation and Bilingualism, and Educational Leadership. Her work is grounded in inclusive, strength-based approaches with a strong commitment to equity, access and excellence for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She is also the former President of the Modern Language Teachers Association of Western Australia (MLTAWA).
Belinda Stewart, WATESOL

Belinda Stewart has taught in the TESOL field for over 20 years and been Deputy Principal of the Cyril Jackson Senior Campus Intensive English Centre since 2016. She has a Post Grad Dip Ed double major in TESOL & LOTE plus a DELTA. She is passionate about providing the best possible educational opportunities for newly arrived migrant/refugee background students. She has held the position of President, WATESOL twice in the last 10 years and uses this role to advocate at state and federal levels to improve outcomes for learners and teachers of English as an additional language or dialect.