Robyn Tyler

Robyn Tyler is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research at the University of the Western Cape. She teaches and supervises pre-service teachers while conducting research on language, literacy and identity in education, with a special focus on language across the curriculum in multilingual contexts.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Language in Education from University of Cape Town (2019)
• MEd from University of Cape Town (2012)

Dr. Tyler's research explores how multilingualism can enhance concept development in science education and how bilingual approaches can improve learning outcomes for South African children. She advocates for a "rich literacies" approach that values all language resources learners bring to the classroom. Her work examines the implementation of language policies in South African schools and how multilingual teaching practices can support deeper conceptual understanding, particularly in science education where she has documented how using multiple languages helps children develop scientific concepts.

Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on multilingual education in South African contexts, particularly examining how language policy implementation affects learning outcomes. Her work spans literacy education, science education, and bilingual teaching methodologies, always with an emphasis on social justice and equity in education, challenging the historical marginalization of African languages in schooling.

Dr. Tyler is an active member of the bua-lit language and literacy collective which advocates for quality education for children who speak African languages. She has collaborated with researchers across South African institutions on projects related to language policy, bilingual education, and literacy development.

She has been involved in research supervision of pre-service teachers and has contributed to teacher training initiatives focused on multilingual classroom practices. Her work has implications for educational policy and practice in multilingual contexts globally, particularly in post-colonial settings where language policy remains a contentious issue.

Dr. Tyler is affiliated with the bua-lit language and literacy collective, an organization working to promote rich literacies approaches in South African education that recognize the value of children's full linguistic repertoires.