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Multilingualism is highly prevalent in schools around the world. Yet, the relationship between multilingualism and academic attainment is not well understood. Where research on this topic exists, it has predominantly focused on how home language background impacts on academic success, lacking in a broader view of multilingualism which extends beyond home languages and also considers the identity component of being multilingual. This paper explores the relationship between multilingualism, multilingual identity and academic attainment. Using school-reported and student-reported data from five secondary schools in Southeast England, we disentangle the complexity of multilingualism in schools by contrasting self- and other-ascriptions of multilingualism, as well as investigating indicators of "multilingualism" and "multilingual identity." Our findings reveal meaningful differences between how students are identified and identify themselves as "multilingual," and foregrounds "multilingual identity" as a potentially more meaningful indicator for understanding academic attainment than multilingualism indicators traditionally used in United Kingdom schools.

Researchers have traditionally relied on institutionally-defined, native speaker conceptions of linguistic competence to define whether or not individual learners are multilingual. However, to better understand the relationship between language and identity in the context of additional language learning, there is a need to widen the definition of multilingualism by including a larger repertoire of semiotic competences and a wider range of levels of linguistic competence. To date, little systematic research has investigated the relationship between different key variables influencing language learners' construction of their multilingual identity (MI). Based on surveys completed by 1338 learners in seven secondary schools in England, this paper reports on a structural equation modelling of key latent variables influencing MI. The analysis suggests that MI is more strongly correlated with direct experiential contact with languages and with social interaction than with explicit beliefs about language learning. Similarly, the influence of parental beliefs is greater than those of teachers or friends. The paper also considers the significance of potential differences between EAL and non-EAL respondents and urban and rural school contexts. Having conducted SEM we offer support for our theorisation of MI as an outcome latent variable composed of three main components, namely, experience, evaluation and emotion.

Cambridge undergraduates have regular active-learning opportunities in small-group tutorials, in which they solve problems and discuss ideas based on course material. Would they see any value in performing similar tasks in flipped-classroom settings, or would they regard the introduction of a second active-learning modality as redundant? Following the replacement of traditional lectures with flipped teaching within three physiology courses, with tutorials ongoing, questionnaire responses showed that students felt that they learned and understood more, and felt better-prepared for exams. Although similarities were recognised, the context of the active learning evidently made flipped classroom and tutorial teaching feel very different, probably because of the different levels of attention from the instructors. Questionnaire and interview comments suggested a complementarity between the two approaches, in that engaging with problems within a flipped classroom could give students more confidence in tutorials and in essay-writing, while tutorials offered more opportunities for individually-tailored feedback.

Research on economic activity in Africa consistently ignores the importance of individuals' linguistic repertoires. We argue that an important contributing factor to the persistence of this lacuna is the lack of visibility of language in the social and economic data that is collected by governments through social surveys. We examine the specific case of language use at work in Ghana. Through this we aim to demonstrate the importance of improving understanding of the role of language in the economy and assess the potential for improving visibility of languages in the socioeconomic data sources used to inform public policy. This case is interesting as, prima facie, education policy in Ghana appears misaligned, prioritising the acquisition of English and skills formation for further study, with less focus on entry into informal employment. Eighty percent of the Ghanaian workforce is in informal employment; this is a much less English-intensive work context than the formal sector, which itself is not a monolingual environment. We suggest that current language policies within the country undervalue the potential which multilingual language skills have for employment; moreover, we emphasise that multiple languages are visible within the labour market, and suggest strategies for more effectively capturing this visibility.

Understanding adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is a major requisite for the development of effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. CD4+ T cells play an integral role in this process primarily by generating antiviral cytokines and providing help to antibody-producing B cells. To empower detailed studies of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses in mouse models, we comprehensively mapped I-Ab-restricted epitopes for the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of the BA.1 variant of concern via IFNγ ELISpot assay. This was followed by the generation of corresponding peptide:MHCII tetramer reagents to directly stain epitope-specific T cells. Using this rigorous validation strategy, we identified 6 immunogenic epitopes in spike and 3 in nucleocapsid, all of which are conserved in the ancestral Wuhan strain. We also validated a previously identified epitope from Wuhan that is absent in BA.1. These epitopes and tetramers will be invaluable tools for SARS-CoV-2 antigen-specific CD4+ T cell studies in mice.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) integrate authentic research into undergraduate chemistry laboratories, introducing students to research while simultaneously reinforcing fundamental concepts. Despite their ubiquitous nature in bioanalytical research, few CUREs have been published applying the fundamental techniques of separations, spectroscopy, quantification, and mass spectrometry. To engage students in learning these increasingly essential bioanalytical techniques, we designed and implemented a semester-long project-based course centered around the purification, quantification, and identification of heterologously expressed proteins in five succinct and adaptable modules. Instructors can use these modules to form the foundation of a CURE specific to their research interests. The extensive commercial availability of plasmids for transformation combined with the modular approach to laboratory experiments enables convenient customization to accommodate diverse research goals. Instructors can tailor the modules to meet the curricular requirements and instrumentation capabilities of their institutions and can easily extend the research goals to incorporate more specialized analytical techniques, as needed. Through the implementation of the five modules, students apply the fundaments of acid-base chemistry, statistics, quantification strategies, spectrophotometry, separations, and mass spectrometry, thus covering the material required in most undergraduate introductory analytical courses. Instructors can then use these modules as a backbone to support student-led discovery-based investigations for the remainder of the course. Students demonstrate their understanding through the completion of a comprehensive, publication-style laboratory report as well as a poster presentation at a university-wide undergraduate research symposium. Since first offering this course in 2016, student evaluations have been exceedingly positive, with over 75% of students indicating that the course both increased their scientific skills as well as their confidence in their ability to succeed in further science courses. Furthermore, 22% of students reported they were "much more" or "extremely more" likely to enroll in a Ph.D. program in science, math, or engineering following the courses, emphasizing the impact that project-based laboratories can have on undergraduate chemists' career trajectories.

It is natural to assume the languages classroom to be a key site for the construction of learners' linguistic and multilingual identities. Yet, an underlying assumption exists that this will occur regardless of whether teachers explicitly raise learners' awareness about the nature of language and how language is implicated in their lived experience. We argue, therefore, that a new dimension of languages pedagogy is necessary in order for learners to understand their own and others' linguistic repertoires (whether learned in school, at home or in the community) and so to recognise their agency in being able to claim a multilingual identity. In this paper, we present a rationale for and explore the effect of an innovative programme of participative multilingual identity education which was implemented by teachers in languages classrooms across four secondary schools in England over the course of one academic year. Data were collected through questionnaires administered before and after the intervention and sought to trace the formation of students' multilingual identity. Evidence from this study suggests that while more traditional interventions focusing on raising awareness about the benefits of languages can be beneficial, effects can be enhanced by an additional 'identity' element, i.e. actively promoting reflexivity.

Multilingual identity is an area ripe for further exploration within the existing extensive body of identity research. In this paper we make a case for a conceptual framework that defines multilingual identity formation in terms of learners' active involvement, and proposes the classroom as the hitherto underused site for participative identity (re)negotiation. After reviewing three key theoretical perspectives on identity (the psychosocial, sociocultural and poststructural) for points of intersection and difference, we propose a new framework for a multi-theoretical approach to the conceptualisation and investigation of multilingual identity. This places it at the nexus of (a) individual psychological development, (b), the relational and social, and (c) the historical and contextual. Arguing that a participative perspective can take the field forward, we present a theorised model for classroom practice that provides a structure within which individual learners of a foreign language might explore, with reference to a range of sociolinguistic knowledge, the extent of their current linguistic repertoire. In addition, they are asked to explicitly consider their identity and identifications and offered the agency to (re)negotiate these in terms of multilingual identity, the development of which may be important for investment in language learning.

At the forefront of many UK universities' current strategies is a commitment to ongoing processes of internationalisation; continued progress in becoming increasingly international also sits alongside adherence to policies and practices relating to widening access and participation for home students, to achieve greater equity in terms of who can experience and participate meaningfully in university education. However, it could be argued that these two areas of focus are somewhat disparate, even at odds, with the former often being somewhat associated with revenue generation, and the latter aiming to meet goals of fairness in society. In this paper, I explore the rationale and scope for UK universities bringing these two seemingly disparate agendas more in line, with a view to achieving greater equity in the access and participation of both local and global cohorts of students in UK universities. A critical evaluation of theoretical and empirical literature exploring these two agendas elucidates the parallels in the ways both international and non-traditional home students encounter the university domain, both from a general perspective, and with a specific focus on linguistic challenges faced by these student groups. Concluding remarks outline possible directions which might better address the wide-reaching aims of addressing and nurturing the widening access/participation-internationalisation nexus.

Metrology is a key tool for tolerancing as it is used to determine whether dimensions are within their tolerance intervals. However, measurement errors cannot be avoided and need being accounted for. The probabilistic approach is applied to both the dimensions and their measurement errors; they are modelled as random variables and characterized by their probability density function. The probability density function of the measurement error is assumed to be known; this work is included in a research project in collaboration with a metrology company, where the engineers are able to provide us with this information. This paper describes a strategy to account for such measurement errors and (partially) correct or mitigate their effects. Through Bayesian inference, the likelihood of true values given measured values is estimated, allowing for a probabilistic correction. The proposed method is applied to numerical examples with simulated data and its relevance is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of social interaction in a community of practice for promoting effective teacher learning is well established (Johnson & Golombek, 2011; Lave & Wenger, 1991). Research outlines the challenges language teachers experience in transitioning between teacher education programmes and the classroom, particularly regarding the theory-practice nexus, and emphasizes the professional community's key role in providing mentoring and support. In this regard, language teachers' experiences in transitioning from theoretically oriented language education master's programmes to the language classroom are underresearched. This study reports data gathered from 21 mainland Chinese participants transitioning from master's programmes in three locations (Hong Kong, Scotland, and China) to language classrooms in China. In line with other research on teacher education programmes, this study's findings suggest interesting common experiences among these new teachers regardless of the context where their studies took place, including a sense of isolation, a "sink-or-swim" phenomenon leading to the abandonment of theoretically grounded pedagogical beliefs in exchange for adherence to "safe" practice, confusion regarding the relationship between learning on university programmes and the practice of teaching, and weak self-efficacy as transitioning teachers face internal and external pressures. Implications and consequences are discussed in the context of the theory-practice nexus.

With English as an undisputed global lingua franca, there is long-standing concern in anglophone countries over the lack of interest in language learning. In the UK, significant changes in language education policy, a mentality of insularity and the global spread of English have all contributed to a drop in language learning uptake beyond the compulsory stage. While the UK has seen many initiatives aiming to foster language learning, no interventions so far have aimed to change learner attitudes by raising students' language awareness of (a) the spread of English globally, and (b) cognitive benefits of mulitilingualism, and the ubiquity of multilingualism, globally and in the UK. A teaching intervention designed for this purpose was delivered to 97 students aged 12-13 in three different state schools in England and Scotland. The effect of the intervention was measured by a pre- and post-questionnaire, with questions closely tailored to the content of the intervention. In addition, qualitative student feedback was gathered after the intervention. Results show significant changes, across the cohort, in two out of three constructs studied, and effects on students' attitude towards language learning. Thus, we conclude that raising anglophone students' awareness of language through raising awareness of cognitive benefits of multilingualism, and the spread of English globally, has the potential to change the attitudes of learners otherwise not interested in language learning.

Cambridge undergraduates have regular active-learning opportunities in small-group tutorials, in which they solve problems and discuss ideas based on course material. Would they see any value in performing similar tasks in flipped-classroom settings, or would they regard the introduction of a second active-learning modality as redundant? Following the replacement of traditional lectures with flipped teaching within three physiology courses, with tutorials ongoing, questionnaire responses showed that students felt that they learned and understood more, and felt better-prepared for exams. Although similarities were recognised, the context of the active learning evidently made flipped classroom and tutorial teaching feel very different, probably because of the different levels of attention from the instructors. Questionnaire and interview comments suggested a complementarity between the two approaches, in that engaging with problems within a flipped classroom could give students more confidence in tutorials and in essay-writing, while tutorials offered more opportunities for individually-tailored feedback.

This study proposes a novel, context-specific, theoretical framework for understanding language learning motivation among secondary pupils in Anglophone settings. It builds on much recent theoretical and empirical work in language learning motivation which has placed increasing emphasis on both the dynamic, fluid nature of motivation, as well as the importance of foregrounding the specific context in which language learning takes place. The framework has also been influenced by teacher interview data, which formed part of a wider multi-strategy investigation into language learning motivation in Scottish secondary schools. Emergent themes include a language teacher's role in mediating the impact of pervasive beliefs about English as a global language, as well as their role in facilitating pupils' development of positive conceptualisations of future selves as successful foreign language users, in both local and global contexts. Recommendations for testing this novel framework with future classroom-based research are made; furthermore, the importance of future work making cross-national comparisons of motivational trajectories in different Anglophone contexts is also acknowledged, given how perceptions of the global spread of English have the potential to negatively impact on language learning in such contexts.

Understanding adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is a major requisite for the development of effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. CD4+ T cells play an integral role in this process primarily by generating antiviral cytokines and providing help to antibody-producing B cells. To empower detailed studies of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses in mouse models, we comprehensively mapped I-Ab-restricted epitopes for the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of the BA.1 variant of concern via IFNγ ELISpot assay. This was followed by the generation of corresponding peptide:MHCII tetramer reagents to directly stain epitope-specific T cells. Using this rigorous validation strategy, we identified 6 immunogenic epitopes in spike and 3 in nucleocapsid, all of which are conserved in the ancestral Wuhan strain. We also validated a previously identified epitope from Wuhan that is absent in BA.1. These epitopes and tetramers will be invaluable tools for SARS-CoV-2 antigen-specific CD4+ T cell studies in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilingualism is highly prevalent in schools around the world. Yet, the relationship between multilingualism and academic attainment is not well understood. Where research on this topic exists, it has predominantly focused on how home language background impacts on academic success, lacking in a broader view of multilingualism which extends beyond home languages and also considers the identity component of being multilingual. This paper explores the relationship between multilingualism, multilingual identity and academic attainment. Using school-reported and student-reported data from five secondary schools in Southeast England, we disentangle the complexity of multilingualism in schools by contrasting self- and other-ascriptions of multilingualism, as well as investigating indicators of "multilingualism" and "multilingual identity." Our findings reveal meaningful differences between how students are identified and identify themselves as "multilingual," and foregrounds "multilingual identity" as a potentially more meaningful indicator for understanding academic attainment than multilingualism indicators traditionally used in United Kingdom schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]