BALEAP already has a relationship with the Journal of English for Academic Purposes (JEAP), published by Elsevier (online ISSN: 1878-1497). The JEAP has an impact factor of 3.1, a CiteScore of 6.6 and an acceptance rate of 11%. BALEAP has historically had an agreement with Garnet who would publish the biennial conference proceedings. Garnet has since decided to end this agreement. As such the BALEAP community needs a new home for the publication of the conference proceedings and research and practice papers that pertain to the field of English for Academic Purposes. The BALEAP Journal will be the new home of the conference proceedings. The journal will publish other submissions of any genre. The Journal’s mission is to challenge and drive the field forward.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nigel Prentice (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A scrapbook of conference planning activity
Copyright (c) 2025 Sanchia Rodrigues, Dr Susie Cowley-Haselden (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
TNE EMERGING CONVERSATIONS: EMBRACE THE RANT
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW18859843 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="FDAbstract" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"a2026614-6a60-4bba-baa5-a91ff667824b|27","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"1",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Calibri",469777842,"Calibri",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Calibri",201341986,"1",469769226,"Calibri,Arial",268442635,"24",469775450,"FDAbstract",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FDAbstract",335572020,"1",134224901,"true",335559685,"1843",469778324,"Normal"]}">This paper explores the extent to which Transnational Education (TNE) both deconstructs and reconstructs EAP thinking and practices. In our conference symposium, we used the acronym RANT to discuss our TNE challenges across four interrelated themes: Reconstructing Identity; Assessment; (K)Nowledge sharing and Transitions. Writing the paper gave us scope for reflection and space to consider the positive aspects of TNE as well as the cyclical nature of ranting. As a result, our RANT developed a more measured, reflective tone, which led to a revised version: Reflect, Assess, Negotiate, and Transform. The paper comprises 5 vignettes exploring challenges affecting EAP teacher identity, assessment, knowledge sharing, power relations, and equity within our various TNE and EMI contexts.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stella Bunnag, Sofia Di Gallorardo, Jennifer MacDougall, Dr Liz Wilding, Samantha Wilson (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The flavour of communication is a reflective narrative that recounts a journey of discovery using adapted CEFR (2020) mediation skills to develop more effective communication skills for a university pluricultural cohort of healthcare students. In mediation, language is conceptualised as more than a linguistic construct, as the skills focus primarily on the needs of the other person in the interaction. Is my message clear, am I intelligible? Can using soft skills such as respect and empathy render the interaction more successful, particularly if the other person should be from a different culture. The CEFR (2020) mediation skills tend to reflect various sociocultural and interactional competence theories (Vygotsky, 1978; Hymes, 1972; Canale & Swain, 1980; Kramsch, 1986) where the emphasis is getting communication right in the context. In CEFR (2020) mediation, with its unique and useful interplay of micro skills, all forms of communication are activated to facilitate understanding (Piccardo, 2020), as can and should happen in real-life. Mediation skills are transferrable academically and professionally. They can be used for a range of communicative acts and can make us more aware of the complex nature of language, which includes collective, cognitive and social functions (Piccardo et al., 2019).
Copyright (c) 2025 Margaret Russell (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
FROM LANGUAGE TO SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: DECONSTRUCTING EAP IN A TRANSNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW12428756 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="FDBody" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"bcc9b429-a646-4c37-aefb-5b5eeafb9836|31","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"1",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Calibri",469777842,"Calibri",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Calibri",201341986,"1",469769226,"Calibri,Arial",268442635,"24",469775450,"FDBody",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FDBody",335572020,"1",335559685,"1843",469778324,"Normal"]}">The write-up reflects on the practice observed in the EAP module of one of the transnational higher education institutions in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). Initially, the EAP module aimed to develop the learners' language proficiency further; however, at the request and suggestions of the subject lecturers and different stakeholders, graduate attributes were enhanced in the module learning outcomes. Consequently, the focus and assessment tasks shifted from implementing the Study Skills, Academic Socialisation and to Academic Literacies models (Lea & Street, 2006). If, in the past, the EAP lessons targeted teaching grammar, vocabulary, and the development of language skills needed for academia, at present, they address teaching language skills and developing soft, academic, and research skills.
Copyright (c) 2025 Saida Radjabzade, Liliya Makovskaya, Saida Akbarova (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
DECONSTRUCTING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS PROVISION: THE NORMATIVE AND THE TRANSFORMATIVE
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW60861273 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="FDKeywords" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"5acd3735-95a9-4226-8b7f-7c50fec25a58|92","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"1",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Calibri",469777842,"Calibri",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Calibri",201341986,"1",469769226,"Calibri,Arial",268442635,"24",469775450,"FDKeywords",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FDKeywords",335572020,"1",335559685,"1843",335559739,"0",469789806,"single",335572079,"6",335572080,"1",335572081,"4278190080",469778324,"Normal"]}">Critical thinking skills are at the core of Higher Education and EAP practice; however, there is little consensus in defining the term and its elusive nature. We approached this landscape from a social-constructivist perspective aiming at deconstructing views and practices as well as generating ideas and alternative avenues for research and practice. We conducted a small-scale survey on how EAP practitioners view the relevant provision at their institutions, how they think teaching critical thinking skills can be more focused and effective, and how they view their role in this transition. We used this data as a springboard for our workshop at BALEAP 2023 Conference to initiate a cycle of de- and re-construction of EAP practice. This reflective report adopts Kolb’s cycle of reflective practice to analyse the outcomes of this process. Our results indicate that the emerging themes link under two larger concepts: instructional approaches and acknowledging cultural diversity. We identified a positive move towards more holistic, post-method instructional approaches to meet learners’ needs without losing sight of active student engagement. The results also highlight that diverse views and perceptions of CT skills due to cultural and educational differences were acknowledged and deficit models and/or stereotyping were rejected and identified as main challenges EAP tutors face in their practice.
Copyright (c) 2025 Catherine Mitsaki, Qian Zhang (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
DECONSTRUCTING STUDENT NEEDS IN EAP FOR STEM: INSIGHTS FROM BALEAP 2023 SYMPOSIUM
The BALEAP STEM SIG 2023 Symposium on 'Deconstructing student needs in EAP for STEM' provided insights into the unique challenges and strategies for teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Key presentations included Natasha Rust's emphasis on integrating register, genre, and discourse analysis into EAP for science courses, Sanchia Rodrigues's exploration of mathematical proficiency and discourse in EAP for maths, and Aaron Woodcock and Lori-Ann Milln's strategies for creating sustainable English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) curricula focusing on vocabulary, speaking, mediation skills, and reflection. Audience discussions highlighted the need for flexible teaching approaches to cater to diverse STEM student groups and the importance of embedding EAP within the broader academic framework. The symposium underscored the collaborative nature of developing effective EAP programs that address both language and subject-specific needs, ensuring the preparation of students for academic success in their respective STEM fields. This interactive infographic and symposium write-up aims to summarise the presentations and discussion at the symposium, to foster ongoing discussions and developments in EAP for STEM education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lori-Ann Milln, Sanchia Rodrigues, Natasha Rust, Aaron Woodcock (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
BRIDGING THE GAP: FOSTERING SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH INCLUSIVE RESEARCH SPACES
This paper discusses a project aimed at integrating social justice into an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Initially conceived as an in-house initiative, the project evolved into a research grant proposal, ultimately enabling a group of hourly-paid pre-sessional teachers to transition from passive recipients of course materials to active participants in the creation and evaluation of course content. The authors emphasise the importance of the teaching-research nexus, as highlighted by McKinley (2019), advocating for practice-based research that reflects real classroom contexts rather than idealised studies. Throughout the project, the teachers gained confidence and developed a stronger connection to mainstream academia, leading to significant professional growth, including one participant securing a permanent university position. The project not only addressed issues of equality, diversity, and inclusivity but also showcased the transformative impact of collaborative research on educators' careers and their engagement with the academic community.
Copyright (c) 2025 Katherine Mansfield, Paul Breen (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
CREATIVE TRIOETHNOGRAPHY AS A SITE OF RESISTANCE AND GROWTH: EXPLORING THE POWER OF RHIZOMATIC ANALYSIS AND BLACKOUT POETRY IN COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
In this reflective exploration, we navigate trioethnographic methodology employed to investigate our evolving professional identities and the concept of social justice in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Our journey, sparked by collaborative writing of a book chapter, emphasized creativity, dialogue, and an ethic of care, resonating deeply with our roles within the EAP for Social Justice Special Interest Group (SIG). We explore the intersections of reflection, trioethnography, and rhizomatic analysis, revealing how these approaches facilitated a profound understanding of our experiences and identities. Blackout poetry emerged as a transformative tool, allowing for alternative interpretations and deeper engagement with our data. Our methodology challenged conventional academic norms, embracing non-linear, interdisciplinary approaches that celebrate multiplicity and inclusivity. Through our research, we address the tensions between traditional academic writing and innovative, transformative narrative styles. The reflective process underscored the significance of trust, vulnerability, and ethical care in collaborative research. Ultimately, our work culminates in a manifesto advocating for creative knowledge-making and collaboration in EAP, urging EAP practitioners and other educators to embrace unconventional narratives and foster inclusive, empathetic learning environments.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Tomasz John, Lorraine Mighty, Iwona Winiarska-Pringle (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW82940916 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="FDKeywords" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"6aa8b177-f4ab-5a7f-bc16-e423c988a9db|1","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"1",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Calibri",469777842,"Calibri",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Calibri",201341986,"1",469769226,"Calibri,Arial",268442635,"24",469775450,"FDKeywords",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FDKeywords",335572020,"1",335559685,"1843",335559739,"0",469789806,"single",335572079,"6",335572080,"1",335572081,"4278190080",469778324,"Normal"]}">‘Can we talk about racism in EAP?’ reflects on the Community Session of the same name at the BALEAP 2023 Biennial Conference. Using JPB Gerald’s talk ‘Bad at English’ (2021) as a stimulus, the session invited discussion on the challenges and benefits of integrating anti-racist pedagogy into EAP curricula. Questions explored included the extent to which ideas around linguistic deficit are linked to racism, the potentially compromised role of EAP practitioners when adopting a raciolinguistic perspective, and to extent to which raciolinguistic theories developed in a US context are more broadly applicable. Reflections from the session reiterated the importance of addressing coloniality and racism in EAP and provided powerful evidence of the session’s impact. However, the discomfort and resistance some educators expressed when these issues were raised highlight that much work remains to be done. This write-up contends that EAP and anglophone academia are rooted in the legacies of British and US imperialism and White supremacy, which continue to shape discriminatory policies and practices in language education and perpetuate the dominance of raciolinguistic ideologies such as native-speakerism and monolingualism. It concludes by advocating for EAP educators to embrace the political nature of language education and adopt a raciolinguistic perspective to challenge colonial legacies and work towards dismantling systemic racial and linguistic inequities in EAP and beyond.
Copyright (c) 2025 William Hardman (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
KEEPING THE WHEEL TURNING: AN ONGOING CRITICAL REFLECTION ON THE SUMMER PRE-SESSIONAL
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW153335213 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="FDKeywords" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"8bbd68cb-645c-46a8-baf8-00c602d665bf|27","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"1",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Calibri",469777842,"Calibri",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Calibri",201341986,"1",469769226,"Calibri,Arial",268442635,"24",469775450,"FDKeywords",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FDKeywords",335572020,"1",335559685,"1843",335559739,"0",469789806,"single",335572079,"6",335572080,"1",335572081,"4278190080",469778324,"Normal"]}">The Summer Pre-sessional (SPS) can be a difficult place to operate. Intensive working environments; tight turnarounds; unpaid overtime - these realities are revealed in the casual language of recovery that the EAP community instinctively reaches for when describing our signature summer programmes and which provided the initial inspiration for a talk at the 2023 BALEAP Conference: a critical reflection on the SPS. This paper offers an extended and ongoing reflection, incorporating the essential content of that original paper as well as the wider conference tone where uncertainty over the longer-term health of the SPS was evident. It is hoped that, with reflective distance and modest adjustments, some sense of a more hopeful future for the Pre-sessional may emerge, one that recentres community and exercises some quiet resistance to prevailing metrics of success.
Copyright (c) 2025 Adam Donnelly (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
CHALLENGING 'ACCEPTABLE READING STRATEGIES': REFRAMING MULTIMODAL AFFORDANCES FOR ACADEMIC READING IN EAP
This paper deconstructs EAP's preoccupation with reducing academic reading to skills and strategies, arguing that Academic Reading is social interaction. The purpose of this research was to uncover ways in which conceptually complex academic reading can be approached more meaningfully as part of ESAP (English for Specific Academic Purposes) programmes in our digital, hybrid and blended learning environments, by both practitioners and students. Some notions of what are often referred to as ‘academic reading skills’ in EAP are challenged (e.g. Grabe & Stoller, 2019; Newton et al. 2018). Regarding these academic reading skills and strategies, the primary objective seems to be the understanding or navigating of a text as an object or artefact, as opposed to reading as an interaction with a text, where the reader constructs meaning through a combination of resources (Bull & Anstey, 2019). In line with the latter perspective on reading as a social interaction, findings from a project undertaken in 2021 are reported, along with more recent and interrelated findings from a scholarship project with an International Foundation Year programme, exploring how EAP practitioners can help students uncover tacit knowledge when interpreting and interacting with new ideas and concepts in their disciplinary reading. These studies involved qualitative analysis of questionnaires and follow up semi-structured interview responses from some students and their EAP tutors. In brief, to access conceptual knowledge, students must combine multimodal literacy with other language-related competencies, such as grammatical and discourse competence (Kress, 2003). This ‘semiotic mediation’ (Coffin & Donohue, 2014 p. 24) is a crucial aspect of academic disciplinary reading and implications include considerations of ways we can potentially draw more meaningfully on affordances provided by complementary modes for this reading both inside the classroom and as a guide for students’ independent study. <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW86615268 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="FDAbstract" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"789d91c8-ae7b-4143-9f95-e43007878a02|137","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"1",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Calibri",469777842,"Calibri",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Calibri",201341986,"1",469769226,"Calibri",268442635,"24",469775450,"FDAbstract",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FDAbstract",335572020,"1",134224901,"true",335559685,"1843",469778324,"Normal"]}">By recognising the linguistic repertoire as one of many semiotic resources available for meaning making, suggestions are made for approaching disciplinary reading for our current and future teaching and learning spaces.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jody Bradford (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
READING GROUPS AS SPACES OF LEARNING AND RESISTANCE: CARE EMOTIONS AND FEMINISM IN EAP
Care, emotions and feminism are critical concepts in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) landscape. However, to date they have existed largely on the periphery, seldom given equal standing alongside more traditional EAP areas of focus. Recognizing the need for change, this article is the result of a dialogic inquiry of four female academics from different UK Higher education institutions who met via a conference reading group foregrounding these topics at the 2023 BALEAP conference. Our investigation explored the role of reading groups in our professional practice and development. In particular, their potential as ‘counter-sites’ (Foucault, 1986) or spaces of radical possibility for self-directed learning, community building and resistance to increasing encroachment on academic autonomy and the commercialisation of academic labour. Underpinning our reflections and dialogues were three pivotal texts selected for this conference reading session. These explored care as a central academic value (Tuck, 2018), emotions as activism (Benesch, 2020), and the ‘disruptive potential’ of feminism (Cerdá, 2020: 216). As discussion lies at the heart of any reading group, we adopted a methodology which centres dialogue and polyvocality, allowing for the researchers’ individual voices to be heard and seen: duoethnography (Sawyer & Norris, 2013). Accordingly, we present our inquiry as duoethnographers often do (e.g., Lowe and Lawrence, 2020), via scripted dialogues. The analysis is organised into four thematic sections, positioned as ‘stepping stones’: socialisation into EAP, developing as an EAP practitioner, gendered experiences: tensions and power struggles, and community, belonging and finding a home. Each section begins with a brief introduction and concludes with a reflective summary to guide the reader. The dialogues, however, are the core elements of the write-up, designed to engage the reader in an ongoing conversation, prompting reflection on personal experiences and understandings. We invite you, the reader, to join this conversation. Reflecting on and sharing your own insights will bring discussions around care, emotions and feminism to the fore. We believe this meaningful development and expansion of core EAP discourses will enrich our professional and academic community for all.
Copyright (c) 2025 Iwona Winiarska-Pringle, Christine Muir, Kashmir Kaur, Lucy Watson (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW209064037 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="FDBody" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"24541b16-5463-4017-a3a7-ceb7bc4be4cb|64","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"1",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Calibri",469777842,"Calibri",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Calibri",201341986,"1",469769226,"Calibri",268442635,"24",469775450,"FDBody",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FDBody",335572020,"1",335559685,"1843",469778324,"Normal"]}">In my plenary talk at the 2023 BALEAP Conference, I invoked a number of ghosts who continue to cast long shadows over contemporary critical theory. The first of these was Walter Benjamin, the German-Jewish essayist and cultural critic, famous for the unfinished Arcades project, which was an attempt to uncover the “messianic” elements which lay buried among the cultural objects and artefacts of the nineteenth century. The second was Jacques Derrida, the French Algerian-born philosopher and founder of “Deconstruction”, our conference theme. Like Benjamin, Derrida calls for radical change, for social justice – for what he calls a “messianic without messianism” (1994, p. 74), meaning a complete openness to the future, to the radically different and unanticipated “other” (1994, p. 112). This is accomplished through a process of endless deconstruction – an endless critique of society, culture, language, politics.
Copyright (c) 2025 Guy McElveny (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0