ESOL student's perceptions: An explorative study on language learning in school team sports

Abstract

Recent research suggests that second language learners require extra attention to ensure they succeed in mainstream classes (Barnes, et al., 2019; McCarthy, 2020). As such, the New Zealand education sector should arguably consider more opportunities for second language learners to be involved in extended use of English within the wider school community, and beyond what an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class offers. This thesis examines the perceptions of five ESOL students from an Auckland co-educational high school regarding their participation in a school team sport, and the influence these experiences had on their language and communication skills. Data for this study were gathered through focus group and semi-structured interviews, and then were thematically analysed (Braun & Clarke, 2013). The Learning Beyond the Classroom model (Benson, 2011; Reinders & Benson, 2017) and Affordance Theory (Menezes, 2011) were used to understand the language affordances in school team sports, and the analysis considered language learning in school team sports through the dimensions of location, formality, pedagogy, and locus of control. Four core themes were identified. First, ‘the value of the sporting context’ reflects the perceived value the participants placed on sport. Second, ‘motivations to learn’ highlights the motivations of the participants and how and why sport provides an ideal context for learning language. Third, ‘the importance of coaches and teammates’ highlights the key role coaches and teammates play in language learning. Fourth, ‘it is up to me’ captures the participants’ realisation that, although sport provides opportunities, it is up to themselves to take advantage of these opportunities. This study concludes that school team sport is a language learning setting that can accelerate language learning of the English language for an ESOL student.