Nalini Boodhoo

Nalini Boodhoo is Professor of Language Education in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning. 

She has held a number of responsibilities including Head of School (2010-2016) and Acting Head of School (2019 - 2020), Athena Swan Lead (2021 – 2023). Nalini has further leadership and management experience having led the Secondary PGCE as Course Director, as Course Lead for the Modern Foreign Languages Secondary and Primary PGCE courses, and as Course Director of the MA in Second Language Education.

Contributions to University bodies include having been a member of the UEA Council and Senate.

Nalini has taught on a range of undergraduate and post graduate taught courses and is currently Course Lead for the MA TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She supervises Ph.D, EdD, MRes and MA students and invites doctoral level applications in the areas of second language teaching and learning, TESOL, language policy, education and development, and initial teacher education.

She is an Editor for the Cambridge Journal of Education, on the Editorial Board of  Impact -the Journal of the Chartered College of Teachers and a member of the College of Reviewers for Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education.

Before joining UEA she taught Modern Languages for several years in secondary schools in Manchester, Sussex and Kent, working as a Head of Department, New Teacher Induction Coordinator and School Governor.

Nalini’s research interests include language teaching methodology (EFL and MFL), education in developing countries with regard to school effectiveness and improvement, and cross-cultural perspectives on enhancing the learning and teaching of international research students. She is particularly interested in second language teaching methodology and the role of language teachers in the context of the whole school curriculum. Nalini’s interest in developing countries focuses on improvement initiatives in secondary schools and on teacher development.

Nalini has supervised several international and home PhD and EdD doctoral candidates to completion. She is willing to consider supervision in the above mentioned fields.

Research Keywords

Second language teaching methodology, school improvement and school effectiveness, developing countries, inter and cross-cultural perspectives in learning and teaching, and teacher education.

Highlighted Publications

N. Boodhoo (2018) Nuevas Tecnologías, Procesos Cognitivos, Estrategias (New technologies, cognitive processes and strategies) in Postigo Pinazo, E Optimización de las competencias del traductor e intérprete Berlin :  Verlag Frank un Timme

Boodhoo, N. (2014) Primary Modern Foreign Languages – Key Stage 2-3 Transfer’ in Pachler, N and Redondo , A (eds) A Practical Guide to Teaching Foreign Languages in the Secondary School London: RoutledgeISBN 978-0-415-63332-1

Boodhoo, N. and Barton, A. (2010) ‘Foreign Languages in Primary Schools II’: Guest Editorial in Language Learning Journal 38, (1) ISSN 0957-1736

Boodhoo, N. and Barton, A. (2009) ‘Foreign Languages in Primary Schools I’: Guest Editorial in Language Learning Journal 37, (2) ISSN 0957-1736

Boodhoo, N (2007) ‘Prologo’ (Prologue) in Postigo-Pinazo, E.Diccionario de Falsos Amigos Inglés-Español(English-Spanish Dictionary of False Friends) Spain: Ediciones Verba ISBN: 84-933193-2-5

Boodhoo, N. (2006) ‘Learning about your subject’in Battersby, J and Gordon, J (eds),Preparing to Teach: Learning from Experience London: Routledge ISBN 10-415-30096-7

Boodhoo, N. (2005), ‘Connecting Key stage 2 and 3 Language Provision – the Challenges’ in Madeleine Danova (ed) The Transatlantic and the Transnational in a Changing Cultural Context, Sofia: Polis Publishing ISBN 954-796-012-1

Boodhoo, N. (2001) ‘Bringing about Change in Developing Countries’ in , Calvert, M, Harvey, J and Cole, B Sheffield (eds) Managing Change Philip Armstrong Publications ISBN 0-9534921-6-8

I have a particular interest in teaching and learning related to Inital Teacher Education, Second Language Education/TESOL and Education in lesser developed countries.

Director for PGR Admissions, School of Education and Lifelong Learning