This article responds to calls for greater inclusivity in second language acquisition research and, more specifically, to calls to explore further the impact of first language literacy on second language oracy (e.g., Tarone et al., 2009). We conducted a partial replication of Foster and Skehan's (1996) influential study of task complexity, planning time, and performance over measures of complexity, accuracy, and fluency. The initial study and others had provided robust evidence to suggest that planning time had a positive impact on task performance, particularly for more cognitively demanding tasks. We conducted our replication with adult second language learners with low first language literacy, most of whom were former refugees. Contrary to previous studies, the findings indicate little to no evidence that planning time led to improved linguistic performance. It is not immediately clear why this should be so, and our findings highlight the need for further research with this underrepresented group.

There is growing awareness that factors such as the growing incidence of co-morbidity and increasing complexity of patient health needs cannot be addressed by health professionals practicing in isolation. Given this, there is an increasing emphasis on preparing students in health-related programs for effective interprofessional practice. Less clear, however, are the specific skills and clinical or learning opportunities necessary for students to develop effectiveness in interprofessional practice. These factors drove a team associated with a tertiary health education provider in Hamilton, New Zealand to transform traditional clinical student experiences in the form of an interprofessional student-assisted clinic. The clinic was intended, in part, to provide students with opportunities to learn and experience interprofessionalism in practice but was hampered by limited information available regarding the specific skill requirements necessary for students in New Zealand to learn in this context. In this Delphi study, we synthesize national expert opinion on student competency indicators necessary for effective interprofessional practice. The resultant set of indicators is presented and opportunities for application and further research discussed. The paper offers guidance to others seeking to innovate health curricula, develop novel service-oriented learning experiences for students, and foster interprofessional practice competence in the future health workforce.

My research aims to explore teachers’ literacy experiences and teaching practices in New Zealand intermediate schools through the lens of multiliteracies pedagogy (MLP). However, upon the initial semi-structured interview, I realised my (mis)assumptions and learned that it could be demanding and challenging for teachers to narrate their literacy teaching beliefs and practices. Consequently, I reworked my interview protocols and switched from semi-structured to unstructured interviews. Then I conducted them in conjunction with the collection of observational data. I also extracted the key elements of MLP – diversity, multimodality and a repertoire of pedagogy – and substituted them with terms and practices more familiar to the teachers. Through this experience, I discovered that honesty, flexibility and adaptability are some of the essential characteristics when conducting research as a novice researcher.

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