Elin Arfon

Research

Research interests

The purpose of my doctoral research is to explore the understandings of plurilingual learning and teaching in theory and practice as well as how it is understood in relation to assessment and qualifications amongst International Languages secondary school teachers and education stakeholders in Wales. This research supports the work of the Area of Learning and Experience: Languages, Literacy and Communication for the teaching of Welsh, English and International Languages in the new Curriculum for Wales 2022. 

Current and past projects 

• August 2022 - present. Research Assistant at the School of Welsh, Cardiff University for the 'Thesawrws' project.


• April 2022- present. Student Member of the Cardiff University Press Editorial Board and its Monograph Commissioning Panel.


• June 2021 - present. Peer Review Editor within the Issue Management team for the postgraduate Journal of Languages, Texts and Society, based at the University of Nottingham.


• 2021-2022. Four-month research internship at Knowledge and Analytical Services, Welsh Government, organised through the ESRC Wales Doctoral Training Partnership and the Welsh Government. Outcome: Government Social Research published report. See publication list for report.


• June 2021. Co-organised the School of Modern Languages PGR Annual (online) Conference along with Rachel Beaney, Joe Healy and Elena Barron Himsworth.


• May 2021 - present. Co-established and co-leading the UKALTA (UK Association for Language Testing and Assessment) PGR Network. See website for more info and list of our events.


• January 2020 - present. Established and leading the Multilingualism Research Network at Cardiff University with Dr Jon Morris (School of Welsh), Kaisa Pankakoski (School of Welsh) and Eira Jepson (School of Modern Languages).


• 2020 - present. Member of the European Network for Junior Researchers in the Field of Plurilingualism and Education (ENROPE), now ENROPE & LANGSCAPE. I have attended various project events as well as Intensive Study Week 2 hosted online by Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle - Paris, and Intensive Study Week 3 hosted online by Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull - Barcelona.


• April 2020 - March 2021. Data Entry Clerk for the Digitisation of the Welsh-French Dictionary Project, led by Tinopolis, funded by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. I worked within the team that inputted and evaluated the data entry process for the online Welsh-French Dictionary.


• 2019. £1,000 funding awarded to organise a conference with two doctoral colleagues at Cardiff University in 2019 by Creative Multilingualism (Creative Multilingualism is a multidisciplinary project funded by the AHRC under its Open World Research Initiative led by the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford). Conference title: Multilingualism and multi-identities in Wales: a creative approach to research and practice. Cardiff; Cardiff University, 6 November, 2019. See links to news items here and here. Conference organiser along with Eira Jepson and Kaisa Pankakoski.

Publications 

• Arfon, E. 2022. Supporting progression in language learning: assessment in the Curriculum for Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Government, GSR report number 29/2022. Available here.


• Arfon, E. 2020. The curriculum for Wales' plurilingual journey: from policy to practice, Language Trends Wales 2020, British Council Wales. Available here.


• Arfon, E. 2020. PhD in lockdown: my today-tomorrow thinking; my ever-changing research; and the Greenland Shark. Available here. 


• Arfon, E. 2020. Llefrith neu laeth? Available here.


• Arfon, E., Jepson, E, and Pankakoski, K. 2020. Multilingualism and multi-identities in Wales: a creative approach to research and practice conference report.


• Arfon, E., Jepson, E, and Pankakoski, K. 2019. Multilingualism and multi-identities in Wales: a creative approach to research and practice conference blog. Available here.


• Arfon, E., Gorrara, C, Jenkins, L. 2019. Rapid review of 'Global Futures: a plan to improve and promote modern foreign languages in Wales (2015-2020)'. Welsh Government sponsored report. Not publicly available.

 Papers and presentations

• Arfon.E. 2022. Plurilingual approaches to learning, teaching, and assessment in the Curriculum for Wales – International Languages teacher perspectives (paper). The Languages Matter 2022 Slovenia national conference. Ljubljana, Slovenia; Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana. In-person, 26-27 September, 2022.


• Arfon, E. 2022. MFL teacher perspectives on plurilingualism in the Curriculum for Wales: initial analysis (paper). Reinvigorating Area Studies: A DTP Training Event. Cardiff; School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University, hosted by the Global Languages-Based Area Studies pathway, Wales Doctoral Training Partnership, with support from the South Coast DTP and the Midlands Graduate School. In-person, 06-07 June, 2022.


• Arfon, E. 2022. Plurilingualism in the curriculum for Wales: PhD data analysis journey (paper). MLANG Research Encounters. Cardiff; School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University. Online, 14 March, 2022.


• Arfon, E. 2021. PhD gymnastics - researcher flexibility (paper). MLANG PGR meeting. Cardiff; School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University. Online, 23 April, 2021.


• Arfon, E. and Jespon, E. 2021. Creative methods (paper). Global Language-based Area Studies: Short Methods Papers Online Workshop. Cardiff; Global Language-based Area Studies Research Theme at the School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University. Online, 24 March, 2021. Available here.


• Arfon, E. 2021. The curriculum for Wales’ plurilingual journey: from learning and teaching to assessment? (paper). Multilingualism on My Mind (MoMM): Exploring Multilingualism in Education conference. Bergen, Norway; MoMM Research Group at the University of Bergen’s Department of Foreign Languages. Online, 18-19 March, 2021. Available here. Available here. See MoMM2021 page.


• Arfon, E. 2021. Plurilingual education in Wales: where next? (poster presentation). ENROPE (European Network for Junior Researchers in the Field of Plurilingualism and Education) Online Study Phase #3. Siegen, Germany; Universität Siegen. Online, 15-16 March, 2021.


• Arfon, E. and Jepson, E. 2020. Exploring our multilingual selves (interactive workshop). The Learned Society of Wales Through the Language Prism Conference. Online, 23-25 November, 2020. Available here.


• Arfon, E, Jepson, E, and Pankakoski, K. 2020. Multilingualism and multi-identities in Wales: a creative approach to research and practice (presentation). Creative Multilingualism New Perspectives on Modern Language Research. Oxford; University of Oxford. In-person, 17 March, 2020. CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19.


• Arfon, E. 2019. Understanding plurilingual students’ linguistic identity and language learning: a case study of a school in South Wales (paper). PGR Modern Languages Research Group Southampton University. Southampton; Southampton University. In-person, 03 December, 2019.


• Arfon, E. 2019. Understanding plurilingual students’ home and community language learning in school in Wales (paper). UK Association for Language Testing and Assessment: Language Testing Forum 2019. Swansea; Swansea University. In-person, 22-24 November, 2019. Available here.


• Arfon, E. 2018. Multilingual literacy in the bilingual classroom in schools in Wales (paper). ESRC Wales DTP Language-Based Area Studies in an Age of Uncertainty, Cardiff University. Cardiff; Cardiff University. In-person, 17 December, 2019.

Posters

• Arfon, E. 2021. Plurilingual education in Wales: where next? ENROPE (European Network for Junior Researchers in the Field of Plurilingualism and Education) Online Study Phase #3. Siegen, Germany: Universität Siegen. Online, 15-16 March, 2021.


• Arfon, E. 2019. Understanding plurilingual students’ linguistic identity at home and in school: a case study of a school in South Wales. Multilingualism and multi-identities in Wales: a creative approach to research and practice. Cardiff; Cardiff University, 06 November, 2019.


• Arfon, E. 2018. Evaluating the effects of multilingual literacy learning in the bilingual context in Wales: a case study of practice. Welsh Government and the British Educational Research Association: the future of educational research in Wales. Cardiff, 14 November, 2018. Available here.

Videos 

• Arfon, E. 2020. Elin Arfon - Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) 2020. Available here.  

Teaching

• Cardiff University 2022/2023 - School of Modern Languages Tutor. Teaching on:
  
  
  
  • UG Year 4 Student Teaching.
  
  
  
  


• June 2022 - Associate Fellow Status (AFHEA)


• June 2022 - Completion of Cardiff University AHSS Learning to Teach masters level 2-year programme: Distinction


• Cardiff University 2020/2021 - School of Modern Languages Seminar Tutor. Teaching on:
  
  
  
  • UG Year 1 Introduction to Translation Methods (French).
  
  
  • UG Year 1 Introduction to Translation Theory.
  
  
  • UG Year 2 Business French.
  
  
  • Guest lecture for UG Year 1 Introduction to Translation Theory - 'Plurilingualism and the CEFR: translation as a learning tool'.
  
  
  
  


• Swansea University 2019/2020– French Tutor for UG Year 2 through the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol 2019/2020.


• Cardiff University 2017-2019 - Welsh for All Tutor.


• Experience of online and face-to-face teaching.

Supervisors