/library/oar/handle/123456789/22325 2026-05-24T10:38:23Z 2026-05-24T10:38:23Z Xerri, Daniel /library/oar/handle/123456789/146648 2026-05-21T11:40:53Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The Routledge handbook of language teacher action research [Book review] Authors: Xerri, Daniel Abstract: Action research (AR) is a cyclical process where practitioners identify a problem, plan and implement a solution, observe the results, and reflect to improve practices. As AR is inherently geared toward change and improvement, impact becomes central to its significance. Traditionally defined as the influence, effect, measurable contribution, or benefits arising from research, impact can also be seen as the process by which research knowledge benefits recipients. In structuring this handbook around different dimensions of impact, Burns and Dikilitas show how inquiry within AR is intrinsically impactful for practitioners. This edited collection explores AR’s transformative role in language education, where impact is not just a by-product but an integral part of knowledge construction, sharing, and application. It underscores AR’s suitability for creating meaningful impact and highlights the interconnected processes of inquiry, teaching, and learning. The book is divided into five parts, addressing AR’s professional, pedagogical, personal, and educational dimensions, and concludes with reflections from teacher-researchers working in diverse contexts.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Xerri, Daniel Block, Josianne /library/oar/handle/123456789/146345 2026-05-12T14:13:41Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Unlocking teachers’ generative AI-oriented professional learning through research–practice partnerships Authors: Xerri, Daniel; Block, Josianne Abstract: Research–practice partnerships (RPPs) offer a powerful model for enhancing English language teachers’ professional learning by fostering collaboration between educators and researchers. This article examines how RPPs enable sustained, practice-based inquiry, empowering teachers to shape their own development while addressing real-world challenges. Drawing on a study conducted in Malta, the article demonstrates how RPP fostered teachers’ confidence to navigate Generative AI effectively while enhancing their practices as writing instructors. It highlights how collaborative, evidence-based decision-making and shared reflection allowed practitioners to apply theoretical insights to practical challenges, creating context-responsive learning experiences that enhanced both teacher efficacy and learner outcomes.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Xerri, Daniel Davis, Savannah /library/oar/handle/123456789/145499 2026-04-13T12:03:57Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Rethinking migration : the intersection of multimodal composition and critical reflection Authors: Xerri, Daniel; Davis, Savannah Abstract: This chapter explores how multimodal composition and critical reflection can enrich English language learning and nurture critical engagement with migration discourse. Based on classroom-based research in Malta, it shows how a group of adult learners collaborated on reflective, multimodal texts about migration, combining AI-generated images with their writing. The analysis identified five key themes in students’ compositions, from economic concerns to personal experiences, and highlights the challenges and opportunities of fostering balanced perspectives, critical media literacy, and intercultural empathy. The chapter argues that multimodal composition and reflection can empower students as agents of change, equipping them with the critical tools to navigate and shape migration narratives in a globalised world.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Xerri Agius, Stephanie Xerri, Daniel /library/oar/handle/123456789/145497 2026-04-13T11:57:36Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Strange fruit : raising students’ awareness of racism through song Authors: Xerri Agius, Stephanie; Xerri, Daniel Abstract: This chapter presents a multimodal lesson plan for upper-intermediate or advanced high school English language learners (ages 16–18) that uses Billie Holiday’s 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit” (poem by Abel Meeropol) to raise awareness of historical and contemporary racism. It covers the song’s origins in the 1930 Marion, Indiana lynching, its jazz/blues genre, vivid imagery and symbolism (e.g., lynching as “strange fruit”), and historical context (Jim Crow laws, segregation). Activities include pre-reading context-building, vocabulary and grammar work (adjectives, -ing forms, stress/pronunciation), gap-fill exercises, discussion of stylistic effects, personal responses, and creative follow-ups (e.g., poetry, visual art, rap adaptations, or linking to modern migration issues). The lesson emphasizes sensitive delivery, creative reader response, and song as protest while connecting language learning to social awareness.

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