Dr Sabine Little

BMus, PGCE, PCHE, CiLT, Med, MA, PhD, SFHEA

School of Education

Director of Education

Senior Lecturer in Educational Studies (Languages Education)

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

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s.little@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 8089
The Wave

Full contact details

Dr Sabine Little
School of Education
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
Profile

I am interested in links between language, identity, and belonging, and the role of multilingualism in society. I work with families, schools, and wider spaces such as libraries and prisons, to explore what it means to grow up multilingual, typically foregrounding the experiences of multilingual children as they navigate the world. Within this context, I have developed and worked on a number of projects that support multilingualism at levels of policy and practice, including (nationally) the National Literacy Trust and World Book Day, and (internationally) the International Baccalaureate Organisation and the government in The Gambia.

Reading, storytelling and digital literacies have a frequent place in my work, and I am keenly interested in whose stories are being told. I have led and worked in research projects in Mexico and The Gambia, and held a visiting professorship at Khon Kaen University in Thailand in each case exploring the role of multilingualism in society from different angles. 

Before joining the School of Education, I worked as a languages teacher, teaching German and French at secondary school level, and before that, I trained as an opera singer.

Research interests

My main and over-arching research interest is in the field of heritage language learners and identity - I am interested how families who speak multiple languages in the home navigate these languages, what this means for individual family members' sense of identity and well-being, and how multilingual children navigate society.

My work focuses on helping practitioners, policy-makers and families to understand issues and pressures faced by heritage language families, and to develop holistic support opportunities. As such, I regularly work with and consult for schools, libraries, education charities and local authorities to facilitate thinking around multilingual pedagogy and wider provision. Key consultations and collaborations included the re-conceptualisation of the International Baccalaureate (in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate Organisation) to facilitate additional inclusion of home and heritage languages in the IB Diploma, working with the National Literacy Trust to integrate multilingualism into the National Literacy Survey (2020), and feeding research-based content into World Book Day's core activities in 2025.

I foreground participatory research approaches, working in collaboration with teachers, community organisations, and children to conceptualise and conduct research that reflects relevant experiences and needs. My work on creating and evaluating a Multilingual Children’s Library in Sheffield was awarded the Brenda Eastwood Award for diversity and inclusion.

I am interested in hearing from prospective research students looking to work in the area of multilingualism and identity, especially in research involving children and young people/families, or the role of multilingualism in school or library contexts.

Key research and impact projects:

  • - funded by the Chinese Heritage Language and Culture Fund, 2023-2025
  • - working in collaboration with the School of Education Maker{Futures} team, integrating multilingual, intergenerational storytelling, making, and digital literacies
  • Multilingual Education in The Gambia, with King’s College London, 2021-ongoing - creating a teacher trainee toolkit to support The Gambia's multilingual education policy
  • : On language, heritage, and forgetting, Economic and Social Research Council (Innovation Knowledge Exchange Fund), 2020-ongoing
  • Communities' languages, identities and belonging in participatory health care interventions in Yucatan, Mexico, Royal Academy of Engineering / Global Challenges Research Fund, 2019-2020
  • , Arts and Humanities Research Council, 2018-2020
Publications

Books

  • Little S (2010) Staff–Student Partnerships in Higher Education.
  • Levy P, Little S, McKinney P, Nibbs A & Wood J (2010) The Sheffield companion to inquiry-based learning. Sheffield: CILASS: The Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences.
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Journal articles

  • Little S, Zhou Y, Heathcote S, Lee C & Shi H (2025) . Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics.
  • Bramley RJ, Little S & Bishop J (2025) . Cogent Education, 12(1).
  • Little S (2025) . Public Library Quarterly.
  • Little S & Zhou Y (2024) . Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 46(6), 1555-1568.
  • Little S & Lahmar J (2024) . International Journal of Multilingualism.
  • Little S, Raine H, Choo A, Joshi R, Qarni SJ, Sukri A, Horton G & Pakravesh S (2024) . British Educational Research Journal, 50(3), 964-980.
  • Little S & Cheng K (2024) . Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 18(3), 208-222.
  • Little S (2023) . International Journal of Bilingualism, 27(2), 217-231.
  • Little S & Murray R (2022) . Journal of Librarianship and Information Science.
  • Cunningham C & Little S (2022) . Linguistics and Education, 78.
  • Formosa J & Little S (2022) . First Language.
  • Parry R, Taylor L, Little S & Bradley J (2022) . Literacy, 56(1), 1-2.
  • Facer K, Parry R, Taylor L, Bradley J & Little S (2022) . Literacy, 56(1), 86-92.
  • Little S & Little T (2021) . Qualitative Research.
  • Little S (2021) . Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development.
  • Taylor L, Parry R, Bradley J & Little S (2020) . Literacy, 54(3), 158-159.
  • Panzavecchia M & Little S (2020) . EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages, 7(1), 108-123.
  • Little S (2019) . The Family Journal, 27(2), 150-155.
  • Little S (2019) . Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 40(3), 218-229.
  • Little S, Golledge M, Agarwalla H, Griffiths B & McCamlie D (2019) . London Review of Education, 17(1).
  • Little S (2018) . International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(2), 198-212.
  • Nutbrown CE, Clough P, Levy R, Little S, Bishop J, Lamb T & Yamada-Rice D (2017) . Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 17(4), 551-569.
  • Little S & Al Wahaibi S (2017) . Multicultural Education Review, 9(3), 175-187.
  • Little S (2017) . International Journal of Early Years Education, 25(4), 424-438.
  • Little S (2016) . International Journal for Academic Development , 21(4), 273-285.
  • Little S (2014) . International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 37(4), 458-459.
  • Wood J, Little S, Goldring L & Jenkins L (2011) 'The confidence to do things that I know nothing about’ – skills development through extra-curricular inquiry activity. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education(3).
  • Levy P, Aiyegbayo O & Little S (2009) . Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25, 238-251.
  • McKinney PA, Wood J & Little S (2009) A learning development team: three developers, one pedagogy. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education(1), 1-16.
  • Little S (2008) . British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(3), 422-432.
  • Little S () . Proceedings of the International Conference on Networked Learning, 6, 245-252.
  • Levy P, Little S & Aiyegbayo O () . Proceedings of the International Conference on Networked Learning, 6, 237-244.
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Book chapters

  • Waddington J, Hedges H, Little S, Banegas DL, Cooper M & Esteban-Guitart M (2024) Funds of Knowledge and Identity Approaches to Early Language Education: Experiences From across the Globe, Multilingual Pedagogies for Early Years Theoretical Insights and Innovative Approaches (pp. 19-36).
  • Little S (2020) In Schalley AC & Eisenchlas SA (Ed.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors (pp. 257-273). De Gruyter Mouton
  • Panzavecchia M & Little S (2019) , Migration, Education and Translation (pp. 161-173). Routledge
  • Little S (2018) Drawn in all directions: Heritage language families’ use of technology In Mascheroni G, Ponte C & Jorge A (Ed.), Digital Parenting: The Challenges for Families in the Digital Age (pp. 61-68). Goteborg: Nordicom.
  • Little S & Lamb T (2016) Assessment for Autonomy, Assessment for Learning, and Learner Motivation: Fostering Learner Identities In Tsagari D (Ed.), Classroom-based Assessment in L2 Contexts
  • Levy P, Little S & Whelan N (2010) Perspectives on Staff–Student Partnership in Learning, Research and Educational Enhancement, Staffstudent Partnerships in Higher Education (pp. 1-15).
  • Little S, Sharp H, Stanley L, Hayward M, Leary PG, O'Neill P & Williams J (2010) Collaborating for Staff–Student Partnerships: Experiences and Observations, Staffstudent Partnerships in Higher Education (pp. 215-225).
  • Little S (2009) , Applied E-Learning and E-Teaching in Higher Education (pp. 1-17). IGI Global
  • Little S (2008) Linking collaboration to learner autonomy: peer cognizance in action In Lamb T & Jimenez-Raya M (Ed.), Pedagogy for autonomy in modern languages education: theory, practice, and teacher education Dublin: Authentik.
  • Little S (2008) Supporting a dispersed community: CoP development in the Caribbean In Kimble C & Hildreth P (Ed.), Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators (Volume 2) (pp. 105-124). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
  • Little S & Lamb T (2006) Identitätsbildung im Fremdsprachenunterricht (‘Creation of identity in the foreign language classroom’) In Jung U (Ed.), Praktische Handreichung für Fremdsprachenlehrer (pp. 381-385). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
  • Little S () , Applied E-Learning and E-Teaching in Higher Education IGI Global
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Conference proceedings

  • Varela-Silva MI, Castillo-Burguete MT, Azcorra H & Little S (2021) . American Journal of Human Biology, Vol. 33(S1) (pp e23593-e23593). Virtual, 29 March 2021 - 29 March 2021.
  • Little S (2006) Networked learning in the Caribbean: A case study from a developing world. Proceedings of the International Conference on E Learning Icel, Vol. 2006-January (pp 267-275)
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Datasets

  • Marsh J, Arnseth DHC, Beech A, Bishop J, Blum-Ross DA, Chesworth E, Dýrfjörð K, Ellis H, Erstad PO, Fashanu C , Hjartarson DT et al .
  • Marsh J, Beech A, Bishop J, Chesworth E, Ellis H, Fashanu C, Hyatt D, Kay L, Kontopodis M, Ktenidis A , Lahmar J et al .
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Research group

I co-lead the institutional Hub for Heritage Languages and Multilingualism, working to raise the profile of research in multilingual contexts within and beyond the institution.

In the wider local context, I co-lead the initiative, bringing together universities, schools, the local council, hospital, and heritage language schools, in an effort to improve provision for multilingual children, and raise the profile of multilingualism in society.

Teaching interests

My teaching is mainly focused on multilingualism, identity and belonging, and the role of multilingualism in public spaces, and I am teaching both within the School of Education and beyond, at all levels from Foundation Year through to doctoral study.

Professional activities and memberships
  • Senior Editor Cogent Education/Languages Education
  • Editorial Board for three journals: "Education Sciences", "The Reading Teacher", and "Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching"
  • Member of UK Literacy Association, including member of Brenda Eastwood Award Panel, Research Committee, and Co-Chair of Wiley Research in Literacy Education Award
  • Visiting Professorship, Khon Kaen University, Thailand (2022)
  • Member of "Committee for Linguistics in Education", a national committee bringing together experts across all language and literacy-focused organisations in the country