RHYS ANSLOW, COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER AND HEAD OF YEAR, HARROW BEIJING, CHINA
Introduction
In international school contexts, barriers to learning are not always visible through attainment data or observable behaviour. Students may appear compliant and engaged, yet experience underlying uncertainty that limits confidence and participation. For learners studying through English as an additional language (EAL), this may be particularly pronounced when success depends on accessing subject-specific academic language. This case study focuses on barriers to language learning, particularly where limited language proficiency affects learners’ confidence and engagement in subject-specific contexts (Li and Haddon, 2025; Fan, 2019). Cummins (2008) distinguishes between Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS), which develop relatively quickly, and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), which may take many years to develop. Consequently, EAL learners who appear fluent in Englis
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