Visualising Multilingual Lives

Unique presentation of biographical and narrative research on applied linguistics using visual materials and methodologies

This book uses rich visual data to investigate how multilinguals make sense of their use and knowledge of more than one language and to gain a better understanding of multilinguals and their lives. The topic is addressed as subjectively experienced and the book unites the current multilingual, narrative and visual turns in Applied Language Studies.

Paula Kalaja is Professor Emerita in the Department of Language and Communication Studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research interests lie in visual methodologies and foreign language learning and teaching, with a particular interest in beliefs, motivation and identities. She has published widely in the field and is co-author (with Ana Maria F. Barcelos, Mari Aro and Maria Ruohotie-Lyhty) of Beliefs, Agency and Identity in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching (Palgrave, 2016).

Sílvia Melo-Pfeifer is Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Hamburg, Germany. She is also a member of CIDTFF (Research Centre ‘Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers’) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Her research interests include plurilingual and intercultural (online) interaction, pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures, and heritage language education.

Paula Kalaja is Professor Emerita in the Department of Language and Communication Studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research interests lie in visual methodologies and foreign language learning and teaching, with a particular interest in beliefs, motivation and identities. She has published widely in the field and is co-author (with Ana Maria F. Barcelos, Mari Aro and Maria Ruohotie-Lyhty) of Beliefs, Agency and Identity in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching (Palgrave, 2016).

Sílvia Melo-Pfeifer is Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Hamburg, Germany. She is also a member of CIDTFF (Research Centre ‘Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers’) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Her research interests include plurilingual and intercultural (online) interaction, pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures, and heritage language education.

A path-breaking book for multilingual classrooms in the 21st century! The 15 chapters, expertly edited by Kalaja and Melo-Pfeifer, offer cutting-edge research on multilingual subjects and a range of truly innovative pedagogies for teachers. This book will inspire researchers investigating the role of visual literacies in multilingual education and will transform the experience of teachers committed to a deeper understanding of the multilingual lives of newcomer students and multilingual learners worldwide. This volume is bound to become a major reference in the fields of language education and teacher education.

Narrative turns and visual turns. This book will have your head spinning. Filled with innovative methods for studying the multilingual subject that are cutting-edge but intersect with more conventional methods too, this stunning collection looks to the future in applied language studies research.