Decode, reflect, apply: scaffolding academic language and reflective engagement as foundations for theory–practice transfer in bilingual teacher education.
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| Title: | Decode, reflect, apply: scaffolding academic language and reflective engagement as foundations for theory–practice transfer in bilingual teacher education. |
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| Authors: | Pfingsthorn, Joanna1 (AUTHOR) pfingsthorn@uni-bremen.de |
| Source: | Frontiers in Education. 2026, p1-14. 14p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Academic language, *Theory-practice relationship, *Intrinsic motivation, *Multilingual education, *Bilingual teachers, *Teaching aids, Introspection |
| Abstract: | In bilingual teacher education, where pre-service teachers engage with academic English as non-native speakers, effective theory–practice transfer depends on two interdependent prerequisites: the linguistic capacity to decode dense academic texts, and the metacognitive capacity to reflect on theoretical knowledge in ways that connect it to emerging professional reasoning. Drawing on research that identifies persistent gaps between theoretical input and authentic classroom application, this paper presents a pedagogical approach that sequences learning activities across three stages — decode, reflect, apply — and reports on an initial empirical evaluation of two illustrative materials operationalizing the approach. The first is a research excerpt that guides students through argumentation, text structure, and the interpretation of findings; the second is a structured "Pause & Reflect" task that prompts metacognitive engagement and the application of pedagogical reasoning. To examine how multilingual pre-service teachers in an English-medium program perceive these materials, a paper-based questionnaire was administered combining adapted versions of the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), the Interest/Enjoyment and Perceived Competence subscales of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) — administered separately for each material — and an adapted Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ), alongside open-ended items and a multilingual background inventory. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that the materials functioned in a complementary rather than redundant relationship — the reading task building perceived competence, the reflection task building intrinsic engagement — and that the pattern of results is consistent with treating linguistic scaffolding and reflective support as co-constitutive rather than sequential concerns in bilingual professional education contexts, though the cross-sectional, single-session design cannot establish this relationship directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Frontiers in Education is the property of Frontiers Media S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 197640965 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Decode, reflect, apply: scaffolding academic language and reflective engagement as foundations for theory–practice transfer in bilingual teacher education. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pfingsthorn%2C+Joanna%22">Pfingsthorn, Joanna</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> pfingsthorn@uni-bremen.de</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Frontiers+in+Education%22">Frontiers in Education</searchLink>. 2026, p1-14. 14p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+language%22">Academic language</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Theory-practice+relationship%22">Theory-practice relationship</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intrinsic+motivation%22">Intrinsic motivation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multilingual+education%22">Multilingual education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bilingual+teachers%22">Bilingual teachers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+aids%22">Teaching aids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Introspection%22">Introspection</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: In bilingual teacher education, where pre-service teachers engage with academic English as non-native speakers, effective theory–practice transfer depends on two interdependent prerequisites: the linguistic capacity to decode dense academic texts, and the metacognitive capacity to reflect on theoretical knowledge in ways that connect it to emerging professional reasoning. Drawing on research that identifies persistent gaps between theoretical input and authentic classroom application, this paper presents a pedagogical approach that sequences learning activities across three stages — decode, reflect, apply — and reports on an initial empirical evaluation of two illustrative materials operationalizing the approach. The first is a research excerpt that guides students through argumentation, text structure, and the interpretation of findings; the second is a structured "Pause & Reflect" task that prompts metacognitive engagement and the application of pedagogical reasoning. To examine how multilingual pre-service teachers in an English-medium program perceive these materials, a paper-based questionnaire was administered combining adapted versions of the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), the Interest/Enjoyment and Perceived Competence subscales of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) — administered separately for each material — and an adapted Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ), alongside open-ended items and a multilingual background inventory. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that the materials functioned in a complementary rather than redundant relationship — the reading task building perceived competence, the reflection task building intrinsic engagement — and that the pattern of results is consistent with treating linguistic scaffolding and reflective support as co-constitutive rather than sequential concerns in bilingual professional education contexts, though the cross-sectional, single-session design cannot establish this relationship directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Frontiers in Education is the property of Frontiers Media S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=197640965 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3389/feduc.2026.1911827 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Academic language Type: general – SubjectFull: Theory-practice relationship Type: general – SubjectFull: Intrinsic motivation Type: general – SubjectFull: Multilingual education Type: general – SubjectFull: Bilingual teachers Type: general – SubjectFull: Teaching aids Type: general – SubjectFull: Introspection Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Decode, reflect, apply: scaffolding academic language and reflective engagement as foundations for theory–practice transfer in bilingual teacher education. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Pfingsthorn, Joanna IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 07 M: 10 Text: 2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 2504284X Titles: – TitleFull: Frontiers in Education Type: main |
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