1st Edition
English Language-Mediated Settings and Educational Inequalities Language Education Policy Agendas in the South Pacific
1 Situating Language Complexities in Pluralistic Fiji 2 Educational Inequalities in Former South Pacific Colonies 3 Historical Overview of Language Testing Frameworks 4 Research Methods and Procedures 5 The CEFR at Play in Fiji 6 Unpacking Educational Inequalities from a Multilingual Context 6 Crafting the Way Forward
Biography
Prashneel Ravisan Goundar is a graduate research academic based at the University of New England. His research interests span applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, and education linguistics. His publications include Pursuing Divinity in Paradise (2020), Writing and Publishing in Fiji (2018), and In Simple Words (2017).
"A searing and path-breaking treatise that troubles the coloniality of language and literacy education in the South Pacific. This book is a must-read for educators interested in what epistemic and cognitive justice for multilingual students might look like in theory and in practice."
Finex Ndhlovu, University of New England, Australia
“The significance, originality, and contributions of this book is that it is the most recent study that has sought to establish an explicit connection between language testing and educational inequalities at the higher education level. It is innovative and weighty as it has asked different sets of questions in seeking new answers to the problem of academic English language skills faced by undergraduate students in Fiji.”
Ravnil Narayan, Tsinghua University Beijing, China
“English Language Mediated Settings and Educational Inequalities: Language Education Policy Agendas in the South Pacific bridges the gap between students’ performance in language tests and their unequal access to English language learning throughout their education. Through narratives, it brings students’ perspectives about constrains and injustices in higher education and provides ideas on how these can be addressed.”
Dr Norbella Miranda, Associate Professor of Languages, Universidad del Valle
“Prashneel Goundar provides an excellent contribution on the issues faced by undergraduate students in their academic writing. Lack of good writing skills for many of them, pose significant challenges in their studies. This book based on research in Fiji provides a useful framework for policy interventions by higher educational institutions in Fiji to improve not only writing skills of undergraduate students but also ways in which they could be supported to successfully complete their qualifications. In addition, the analysis in the book could help address issues such as access to resources and strategies to improve the writing skills for undergraduate students.”
Professor Biman C. Prasad, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance – Fiji
