Barbara Louise Trudell, Ph.D.

Senior Literacy and Education Consultant

Degrees

  • Ph.D., International Education, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 2004
  • M.A., Interdisciplinary Studies (applied linguistics and education), University of Texas at Arlington, 1991
  • B.Sc.( magna cum laude), Chemistry, Houghton College, New York, 1979

Current positions

  • Certified Senior Literacy and Education Consultant, SIL International, 2012–
  • Director of Research and Advocacy, SIL Africa Area, 2010–

Other professional experience and service

  • SIL International Board of Directors, 1996–2012
  • SIL International Literacy and Education Consultant, 2005–2011
  • Director of Academic Affairs, SIL Africa Area, 2004–2010
  • Instructor, International Perspectives on Education and Training, University of Edinburgh, 2003–2004
  • Director, Women Organized for Reading and Development (WORD), 2000–2001
  • Literacy programs coordinator, SIL Africa Area, 1993–2000
  • Literacy programs coordinator, SIL Peru Branch, 1991–1992
  • Instructor, English Composition for International Students, University of Texas at Arlington, 1989–1991
  • Literacy programs administrator, SIL Peru Branch, 1986–1989
  • Instructor, Literacy and applied linguistics, University of Texas at Arlington, 1985–1986
  • Literacy facilitator, Huanca Quechua language community, SIL Peru Branch, 1982–1984

Professional memberships

  • Comparative and International Education Society, 2010–

Global Literacy Special Interest Group co-chair, 2012–

  • Association of Reading of Kenya Advisory Board, 2012– 
  • International Reading Association, 1985–

Language and Literacy Learners Committee, 2010–

  • Multilingual Education Network of Eastern Africa, Steering Group, 2006–
  • Mother Tongue Based-MultiLingual Education Network Advisory Committee, 2012–

Language proficiencies

  • English: ILR 5
  • Spanish: ILR 4
  • French: ILR 1+

Research projects

2013. Study of orthography reform and local-language reading instruction among Maasai communities of Kenya

2012. Collaboration with RTI (response to intervention) and SIL researchers in Kenya, studying the outcomes and implications of early grade reading assessment in Kenyan primary schools

2010. Study of seven primary education alternative programs being implemented by government and non-government sponsors in Burkina Faso

2008. Study of the context, processes and outcomes of local-language adult literacy programs in five language communities of Senegal

2002–2003. Study of primary education and language maintenance in three language communities of Northwest Cameroon, Ph.D. work

1988–1989. Evaluation of the SIL/Ministry of Education bilingual education program in the Peruvian rainforest, M.A. work

P.O. Box 44456
00100  Nairobi
Kenya
Publications:

Selected publications

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2012. Early grade literacy in African schools: Lessons learned. In Hamish McIlwraith (ed.), Multilingual education in Africa: Lessons from the Juba language-in-education Conference, 155–162. London: British Council.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2012. Of gateways and gatekeepers: Language, education and mobility in francophone Africa. International Journal of Educational Development 32(3):368–375.

Klaas, Anthony, and Barbara Louise Trudell. 2011. Effective literacy programmes and independent reading in African contexts. Language Matters 42(1):22–38.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2009. Multilingualism in Sub-Saharan Africa: Describing a phenomenon, leveraging a resource. In ACALAN (eds.), Forum International de Bamako sur le Multilinguisme: Actes du forum, Bamako, Mali, January 19–21, 2009, 99–105. ACALAN.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2010. When “prof” speaks, who listens? The African elite and the use of African languages for education and development in African communities. Language and Education 24(4):337–352.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2010. Language, culture, development and politics: Dimensions of local agency in language development in Africa. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 31(4):403–419.

Trudell, Barbara Louise,.and Anthony Klaas. 2010. Distinction, integration and identity: Motivations for local language literacy in Senegalese communities. International Journal of Educational Development 30:121–129.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2009. Local language literacy and sustainable development in Africa. International Journal of Educational Development 29:73–79.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2008. Practice in search of a paradigm: Language rights, linguistic citizenship and minority language communities in Senegal. Current Issues in Language Planning 9:395–412.

Trudell, Barbara Louise, and Leila Schroeder. 2007. Reading methodologies for African languages: Avoiding linguistic and pedagogical imperialism. Language, Culture and Curriculum 20(3):165–180.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2007. Local community perspectives and language of education in sub-Saharan African communities. International Journal of Educational Development 27:552–563.

Other

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2013. Early reading success in Africa: The language factor. Paper presented at the Georgetown University Round Table American Conference on African Linguistics, Georgetown, VA. March 7–9, 2013.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2012. Shaped, issued and appropriated: The international, national and local dimensions of language policy in Africa. University of Edinburgh Centre for African Studies 50th anniversary conference, Edinburgh, Scotland. June 6–8, 2012.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2011. The making of a killer (language): Language contact and language dominance in sub-Saharan Africa. Paper presented at the 4th European Conference on African Studies, Uppsala, Sweden. June 15–18, 2011.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2010. Literacy in a multilingual context: Program outcomes and considerations. Paper presented at the 8th E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting, Abuja, Nigeria. June 21–24, 2010.

Trudell, Barbara Louise. 2008. The place of local languages in education: The ideal, the reality and the space in between. Paper presented at the UNESCO Education Sector Seminar, Paris, France. September 2008.

Works by this author in SIL Language & Culture Archives

Another work by this author in SIL Language & Culture Archives