The Linguistic Risk-Taking Initiative (LingRisk)

This project capitalizes on the notion of linguistic risk-taking and focuses on a new pedagogical initiative to support French or English language teaching and learning at the University of Ottawa. Linguistic risks are situations where learners may experience discomfort or anxiety in their second or additional language because of concerns about making mistakes, being misunderstood, misunderstanding others, being judged, feeling less competent in that language, and so on. This may cause learners to miss opportunities for authentic and meaningful second language engagement on the university’s bilingual campus. However, frequent targeted linguistic risk-taking may be a path to increased confidence and competence in the second/additional language and may lead to feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment. This project has created a paper passport booklet and a digital phone app to encourage learners to take linguistic risks on campus and beyond. The objective is two-fold: 1) to support language learners in taking risks and practice their second o icial language; 2) to increase research knowledge about linguistic risk-taking from both theoretical and practical perspectives.  

The research team collects qualitative and quantitative data of learner experiences and integrates the activities in various language courses on campus and beyond. Methods and procedures include: classroom visits, administration of questionnaires, interviews, analysis of app usage data, transcription, anonymization, analysis with the qualitative software Nvivo, descriptive statistics analysis (creation of tables and charts based on quantitative data), app testing and concept design, etc.  

Schedule and/or conduct interviews (online or in-person), transcribe and anonymize video/audio recordings, organize database files, conduct thematic analysis using the Nvivo software, communicate with clients (parents), research/curate appropriate parental resources (e.g. websites, blogs, podcasts, books, etc.), write or review responses to parents, manage project website content, complete administrative tasks, etc. Note that depending on project flows and participant volume, not all of the above tasks may be available or appropriate for the student participating in this project. However, an e ort will be made to expose the student to a variety of tasks and activities, so as to maximize the new skills acquired. When possible, students will also be paired with more advanced RAs at the graduate level to receive mentorship.

• Initial project orientation and introductions: 1hr 
• Project meetings with professor and MA research assistants: 10 hrs 
• Conducting or observing interviews: 5 hrs 
• Transcription and verification: 15 hrs 
• Thematic analysis with Nvivo: 15 hrs 
• Creation of tables and charts: 17 hrs 
• Questionnaire management: 5 hrs 
• App testing and reporting: 15 hrs 
• Classroom visits: 3 hrs 
• Project administration: 4 hrs 

Preferred semester: Fall 2026 or Winter 2027 

Work languages: English and/or French 

Assets: interests in languages or linguistics, personal bi/multilingual experiences, experience with additional languages.