LESLLA research database

Browse and contribute to our crowdsourced database

Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults (LESLLA) is an organisation which aims to support migrant adults learning to read and write for the first time in a new language,  and their teachers. Since the founding of the organisation in 2005, research into second language learners with emerging literacy and limited/interrupted formal education experience has continued to grow year on year. 

However, this population of learners remains underrepresented in broader second language acquisition (SLA) research. Additionally, due to the scarcity and scattering of published research with these learners, researchers and teachers can struggle to locate the existing literature. For this reason, some research has already been compiled on the LESLLA website, including open access to conference proceedings from the Annual LESLLA symposia since 2005.

The LESLLA research database builds on this work, with a focus on compiling an open, searchable resource for researchers and teachers. The aim is to collaboratively and comprehensively draw together our knowledge of existing studies, as well as disseminate our own work to other members of our LESLLA community.  Below you can find:

Every form submission automatically updates the spreadsheet, which will be occasionally monitored by volunteers. 

What to submit?

We encourage contributions of research with, about or relevant to LESLLA learners and teachers, published in:

We welcome research published in any language.

Submissions will be monitored for relevance to LESLLA topics by ensuring that research relates to at least three out of the four central topics below:

How to search?

You can scroll through the submitted research contributions on this webpage, which also has the option to click between tabs separating journal articles, books, conference proceeds and theses. 

The webpage is also linked to the full (view only) spreadsheet, which can be searched and filtered with the standard functionality of Google Sheets. 

Who is behind the initiative?

The idea for this database came out of discussion between PhD researchers, who had been through the struggles of compiling literature for their theses and had benefited from recommendations from other researchers around the world.  Quarterly, online meet-ups with early career LESLLA researchers revealed that those at the start of their research journey welcomed support in knowing where to look for papers. Furthermore, researchers at all stages of their career benefited from hearing about research taking place in different universities and national contexts. 

As the field grows and more LESLLA research is being published, this felt like a good opportunity to highlight and keep track of new publications. With limited time and resources, an open access and collaborative approach seemed a great way forward. Therefore, Louise Shepperd (University of York), set to work creating this website as an easy way to crowdsource literature and increase awareness of the research that has been done so far in the field. The development of these ideas are also thanks to collaboration with Kaatje Dalderop (University of Amsterdam) and Theresa Wall (University of Wollongong). 

We hope it strengthens and inspires your work!