Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I am a sociolinguist/ applied linguist based in Melbourne, Australia. I am deeply interested in how multlicultural societies responds to linguistic diversity. I work with mainstream institutions such as schools, hospitals and libraries in Australia to explore better ways of engaging with clients from non-English speaking backgrounds and developing multilingual language proficiency. As part of this I has an abiding interest in the relationship between language, identity and social cohesion and the ways that people's attitudes about languages contribute to broader inclusion and exclusion. Much of my recent work looks at Deaf sign language users, but I also have a strong interest in migrant languages, especially for small and newly-arrived migrant groups.
A theme running through my work is how language and identity are intertwined and how linguistic practices emerge from social interactions and institutions. I am particularly interested in the adolescent life-stage and have conducted and supervised numerous research projects on language behaviour and language attitudes among groups of teenagers.
I believe strongly in the importance of researchers building links with policy-making organisations in order to allow insights from research to flow in to policy and vice versa. I have a track record of over 10 years of research consultancy with government and non-government agencies, including the Victorian Deaf Education Institute (a branch of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development), Department of Human Services (Victoria), Victorian Multicultural Commission and Australian Federation of Deaf Societies.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Multilingualism
- Language and Identity
- Deaf studies
- Sign language
- Adolescence
- Migrant languages
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Acquiring Physical Skills: Exploiting Games Technology to Teach Sign Language
Ellis, K. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Fisher, J. L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rinehart, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Willoughby, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Ray, N. (Partner Investigator (PI))
Australian Research Council (ARC), Victorian Deaf Society, Deaf Children Melbourne Australia (DCMA)
1/07/11 → 15/12/14
Project: Research
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Bridging the theory-practice gap in the teaching of sign languages
Willoughby, L. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Schembri, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Sabolcec, J. (Partner Investigator (PI))
Australian Research Council (ARC), Melbourne Polytechnic, La Trobe University
22/12/15 → 31/12/21
Project: Research
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Talking through touch: adapting sign languages for use by Deafblind people
Willoughby, L. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Iwasaki, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Manns, H. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bono, M. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & McKee, D. (Partner Investigator (PI))
Australian Research Council (ARC), Monash University, National Institute of Informatics, Victoria University of Wellington
28/01/16 → 31/12/20
Project: Research
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Building Mental Health Capabilities for the Auslan workforce
Avella Archila, A. (Project Manager), Gerber, L. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Hlavac, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Willoughby, L. (Chief Investigator (CI))
13/08/24 → 31/12/26
Project: Consultancy
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Transforming Auslan education in Australia
Willoughby, L. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
15/07/24 → 14/07/27
Project: Research
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Migration, heritage languages, and changing demographics in Australia
Ndhlovu, F. & Willoughby, L., 3 Mar 2017, The Routledge Handbook of Heritage Language Education: From Innovation to Program Building. Kagan, O. E., Carreira, M. M. & Hitchens Chik, C. (eds.). 1st ed. New York NY USA: Routledge, p. 22-32 11 p. (Routledge Handbooks in Linguistics).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
8 Citations (Scopus) -
Deaf children and youth from refugee backgrounds: Pressing issues and possible solutions
Willoughby, L. J. V., 2015, Creating New Futures: Settling Children and Youth from Refugee Backgrounds. Crock, M. (ed.). Annandale NSW Australia: Federation Press, p. 197 - 212 16 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
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What their friends say about the way they talk: the metalanguage of pre-adolescent and adolescent Australians
Willoughby, L. J. V., Starks, D. & Taylor-Leech, K., 2015, In: Language Awareness. 24, 1, p. 84 - 100 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
12 Citations (Scopus) -
Taking a user centred design approach for designing a system to teach sign language
Fisher, J. L., Ellis, K. A., Willoughby, L. J. V. & Barca, J. C., 2014, Proceedings of the 25th Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS 2014). Wang, W. & Pauleen, D. (eds.). Auckland New Zealand: Australasian Conference on Information Systems, p. 1 - 10 10 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research › peer-review
6 Citations (Scopus) -
One cohort or two? Enjoyment, anxiety and study behaviours among intermediate language learners in tertiary language classes
Willoughby, L., Nambu, S. & Pezzotti, B., 12 Jul 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Australian Review of Applied Linguistics. 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus)
Prizes
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Monash Postgraduate Association Supervisor of the Year - Overall winner
Willoughby, L. (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Arts Faculty Emerging Research Excellence Fellow
Willoughby, L. (Recipient), 2013
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Dean's award for Impact and Engagement
Willoughby, L. (Recipient), 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Activities
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SkillsIQ Ltd (External organisation)
Willoughby, L. (Member)
2017Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Membership of industry collaboration/ network
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Parliament of Australia (External organisation)
Willoughby, L. (Member)
2017Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Consultancy
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Attorney-General's Department (Australia) (External organisation)
Willoughby, L. (Member)
2017Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Membership of an advisory panel/policy group/ board
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Victorian Auslan Training Consortium (External organisation)
Willoughby, L. (Member)
2016 → …Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Membership of industry collaboration/ network
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External Thesis Examination
Willoughby, L. (Examiner)
2010 → …Activity: Examination types › Thesis Examination
Press/Media
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Greek, Italian reinstated at school planning to drop them
27/09/16
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Tougher English test to meet new citizenship rules may set bar too high, expert warns
20/04/17
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment