Redefining Student Success in ESOL : Individual Learning Plans as a Catalyst for Holistic Growth and Social Justice

Baba-Ahmed, Nafisa and McArthur, Jan (2025) Redefining Student Success in ESOL : Individual Learning Plans as a Catalyst for Holistic Growth and Social Justice. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

Text (2025BabaAhmedPhD)
2025BabaAhmedPhD.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs.
Download (13MB)

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates the implementation and effectiveness of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in Adult Community English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) education. Employing a multi-method approach, including semi-structured interviews with seventeen participants (ten students and seven staff members), longitudinal surveys of learners (n=54 at the beginning and n=43 at the end of the course), and document analysis of ESOL course files containing ILPs from an Adult Education College in London, this research contextualises the interplay between government policy, educators, and students within recent UK policies emphasising performance metrics, employability and immigrant integration into UK society. Using the interpretive paradigm within a social constructivism framework, the study highlights the perspectives and transformative learning journeys of ESOL learners in a community learning setting. Applying Nussbaum's Capabilities Approach as a soft lens, the research emphasises the significance of recognising and catering to the uniqueness of community ESOL learners at the entry-level, particularly their "spiky" learner profiles, and the potential of ILPs as tools for Assessment for Social Justice to do so. The findings reveal the acquisition of linguistic, literacy, and soft skills, contributing to both academic competencies and broader social development. This research advances the academic discourse on ILP effectiveness and the application of the Capabilities Approach to demonstrate the transformative impact of ESOL education and learners' holistic growth. By exploring an underrepresented area in the literature on Assessment for Social Justice, this study provides insights into fostering a more inclusive and empowering learning environment and offers recommendations for restructuring ILPs as dynamic, student-led tools for assessment, thus informing educators, policymakers, and future research in the field.