Dr. Chelsea Whittaker

• Ann Devitt and Chelsea Whittaker, Evaluation of the Kinia-Suas Remote Reading Buddy Program 2021, Dublin, TCD, September, 2021Report, 2021, TARA - Full Text
• Chelsea Whittaker, Including all? Rethinking homework practices in multilingual contexts in Ireland., Language & Education, 2025Journal Article, 2025, DOI
• Joanne Banks and Chelsea Whittaker, School-based assessment frameworks within inclusive school systems: A review of international good practice, 2024Report, 2024
• Chelsea Whittaker, Dynamic Multilingual Identities: Interactions between language-in-education policy and family language policy., IRAAL Conference 2024, University College Cork, 15th & 16th NovemberConference Paper

• Chelsea Whittaker, Migrant Children's Experiences of Learning English as an Additional Language in Irish Primary Schools., Trinity College Dublin, 2019Thesis
• Ann Devitt, Mary Quirke, Chelsea Whittaker, Catherine O'Reilly and Conor McGuckin, A Review of ESOL Provision in Further Education and Training in Ireland, 2025Report
• Chelsea Whittaker, Homework that speaks every language: Supporting Multilingual Learners at Home, 2025, - 32Miscellaneous, URL
• Chelsea Whittaker, Inclusion which ignores language is incomplete, Annual International Multidisciplinary Conference, G.F Abela Junior College, University of Malta, 10-13 September 2025Conference Paper

I am a sociolinguist and educator whose research is grounded in a commitment to social justice, inclusion, and community well-being. My work explores the intersections of language, migration, diversity, and education, focusing on how linguistic practices and policies shape learners' experiences and opportunities. With a background spanning South Africa and Ireland, I examine how multilingualism unfolds in dynamic, postcolonial contexts and how language can act as both a bridge and a barrier across educational sectors, from early years to higher education. My MEd research, Migrant Children's Experiences of Learning English as an Additional Language in Irish Primary Schools, explored how young learners navigate new linguistic and cultural landscapes. My PhD, Dynamic Multilingual Identities: A Linguistic Ethnography Exploring Identity, Multilingualism, and Language Policy in Primary School-Aged Migrant Learners and Their Families in Ireland, extended this work, uncovering how families negotiate language and identity across home and school spaces. This research highlighted the need to recognise multilingualism as a lived reality rather than a policy challenge. In my current role, I focus on the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, examining how language and inclusion intersect to create, or remove, barriers to participation. I am particularly engaged in ESOL research, reimagining ESOL as a central site for inclusion, belonging, and social participation in FET. I am a member of the Language Use and Multilingualism in Education Research Group (LUMIERE) and serve as Programme Coordinator on the DIFET Programme, where I lead on embedding inclusive and accessible approaches to qualification design. Drawing on my interdisciplinary background in Applied Linguistics, Education, and Psychology, I aim to produce impactful, practice-oriented research that informs policy, empowers practitioners, and promotes equitable, multilingual educational practices.

Applied and developmental psychology, Other humanities, Educational psychology, Inclusive education, Technical, further and workplace education, Linguistics, Vocational education and training curriculum and pedagogy, English and literacy curriculum and pedagogy (excl. LOTE, ESL and TESOL), Education, Multicultural education, Education policy, sociology, psychology and philosophy,

• IRAAL Conference 2024: Best Paper 2024
• TCD Postgraduate Teaching Awards 2023-24- Runner Up 2023-2024

• Member of the Irish Association of Applied Linguistics Current