PhD Candidate Mari Lund Eide
Welcome to the project page for my PhD project Discussing Controversial Issues in the Norwegian EAL Classroom: a Multiple Case Study of Teachers’ Experiences, Approaches and Beliefs.
Below, you will find more information about my project(s), research interests, and publications.
You can also access my podcast about science dissemination (in Norwegian).
Questions and request may be forwarded to mari.eide@uib.no
My PhD project
How do teachers of English in Norway approach controversial topics that may stir disagreements and discussions in their classes? What kind of controversial issues do they include in their teaching and why are they deemed controversial by teachers and learners? What characterizes teachers’ (negative and positive) experiences with including controversial topics in the classroom? What learning potentials reside in the deliberation of controversial topics in the English subject?
These are all central questions that my PhD project seeks to answer.
My project is a multiple case study of five English as a foreign language (EAL) teachers and their classes. I have followed upper secondary teachers in lessons dedicated to exploring and discussing various controversial issues and interviewed them about their approaches and experiences.
Publications:
Complete list of both academic and popular scientific publications and conference proceedings is available from CRISTIN (Current Research Information System in Norway)
Research groups and affiliations:
Research interests
I am interested in divisive topics surrounded by controversy and polarization and how we navigate them in various social spaces. Being able to communicate with people who hold different worldviews, attitudes and beliefs is an absolute necessity in a globalized, multicultural and complex world – and a useful democratic skill. This is why I am interested in how teachers approach controversial topics and disagreements in the teaching of English – a school subject that invites multicultural and global perspectives into the classroom and where intercultural encounters constitute the very bedrock of the curriculum.
Research dissemination:
I have previously researched forces shaping the discourse on gender-neutral pronouns in the English language. I have also been concerned with the current debate surrounding this linguistic phenomenon in Norway.
In addition to disseminating my own research and expertise, I also frequently participate in and chair debates and talks on research dissemination.
I run a science dissemination podcast (in Norwegian) where I invite researchers to talk about how they work with science dissemination. Previously I worked as a communications advisor at Nord University and the Norwegian Tax Department, as well as for the H2020 research project PROTECT the Right to International Protection.