Spaces for multilingual education: language orientations in the national curricula of Sweden and Finland

Paulsrud, BethAnne; Zilliacus, Harriet; Ekberg, Lena

doi:10.1080/19313152.2020.1714158

Cited by 24 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…However, a multilingual approach must also be facilitated at the curriculum level. Thus, another important implication of this study is the need for a clear definition of multilingualism in the curriculum and guidelines on how to implement a multilingual approach to avoid that the teachers are left with their own beliefs and convictions about important areas of focus in the L1 Norwegian subject rather than official policy (Paulsrud et al, 2020;Ricento & Hornberger, 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Norwegian L1 teachers’ beliefs about a multilingual approach in increasingly diverse classrooms

Vikøy

Haukås

2021

International Journal of Multilingualism

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The L1 subject is a central meeting place for all students regardless of their linguistic backgrounds. Thus explorations of multilingualism in the L1 subject provide the potential for enhancing all students' multilinguality. In Norway, several policy papers have emphasised the important role of the L1 Norwegian subject in promoting students' multilingualism as a resource, but guidelines are lacking on how this should be facilitated. Consequently, L1 teachers' beliefs about multilingualism are central to understanding how and to what extent they implement a multilingual pedagogy. Whereas previous research in the Norwegian context has mainly explored foreign language teachers' beliefs on multilingualism, this study investigated L1 Norwegian teachers' beliefs on how the subject can be taught in an increasingly diverse language classroom. Ten upper secondary school teachers discussed these topics in focus groups. Most of the teachers had a language-as-problem orientation to their students' multilingualism. In particular, they found it challenging to improve minority students' Norwegian skills. Moreover, they rarely encouraged the use of minority students' multilingualism as a resource in the classroom. They also reported little guidance from textbooks. The findings suggest a strong need for supporting L1 subject teachers in developing a multilingual mindset and for creating suitable teaching materials.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Norwegian L1 teachers’ beliefs about a multilingual approach in increasingly diverse classrooms

Vikøy

Haukås

2021

International Journal of Multilingualism

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“…What makes things even more difficult for some students pertaining to language skills is that in Finland it is also necessary for civil servants in public professional positions, such as lawyers, teachers, or doctors, to have a good knowledge of Swedish which is the second official language of the republic of Finland. This is one reason for the importance to include multilingual education in curricula to promote social justice (Paulsrud et al, 2020). Academic writing, which is another core academic skill and ability essential for academic life, constituted another significant challenge.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academic Learners in Finland: The Experiences and Perceptions of First-Generation Migrant Family Students in Higher Education

Makrooni

Ropo

2020

J Ethn Cult Stud

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The increasing migration and internationalization of societies require a new dynamic architecture in higher education. Understanding the educational journey of specific groups of students is, therefore, of great importance. This study describes the educational pathways of first-generation migrant family students (FGMFSs) who have been successful in their university education. For this grounded theory study, fifteen FGMFSs at universities in Finland were interviewed. Three main categories—the academic environment, academic performance, and academic well-being—were identified as critical factors influencing their educational success in higher education. The results of this study can help educators and policymakers better understand the factors that are important for FGMFSs’ sense of belonging and educational success in higher education.

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“…Also, plurilingualism can be made an explicit goal of the language subject in its syllabus, such as in Denmark and Norway where affordances for teachers and pupils in language subjects to draw upon and contribute to plurilingual competence are made explicit in the English syllabus (see Ministry of Children and Education, 2019; Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2019). In the Swedish context, pluri/multilingualism (flerspråkighet) is explicitly mentioned in the MT syllabi (Paulsrud et al, 2020) and upper secondary English and SSL syllabi (see Hedman & Magnusson, 2019;Hult, 2017). I, however, would contend that ideologies of language manifest in syllabi may transcend language subject divides and create such affordances implicitly.…”

Section: Sammendragmentioning

confidence: 99%

The multivoiced English-for-young-learners subject in Sweden: Spaces for plurilingualism?

Gasson

2021

ADNO

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Already in primary school in Sweden, English is one of several language subjects within a larger curriculum. Despite this, the curricular space for the English subject to leverage and contribute to plurilingual competence has hitherto received little attention. This study centres on the construction of the primary English subject in the 2011 (revised 2018) curriculum, also in relation to other language syllabi, using the concept of ‘voice as perspective on topic’ (Linell, 2009) to analyse ideologies that are salient, backgrounded, and absent in the English syllabus and those transcending language syllabi boundaries. Findings show that different voices are salient in the English subject in years 1–3 and 4–6, constructing an oral-based and fun subject contra an increasingly academic and communicatively-focused subject respectively. Monoglossic ideologies in English language teaching are challenged insofar as English is not positioned as a language belonging to specific nations or speakers. However, there exists no explicit space for plurilingual competence in assessment, where instead pupils’ monolingual performances are assessed. In addition, unlike other language syllabi, the English syllabus contains no explicit mention of multilingual awareness-raising of languages in the learners’ repertoire, thereby limiting explicit space for plurilingualism. Nevertheless, across the language syllabi, a functional view of language is salient, where communicative strategies, language form for functionally justified ends, and text genres form part of the core content of the education. This creates implicit spaces for teaching and learning in the English subject to leverage and contribute to developing underlying functional linguistic proficiency (see Cummins, 2000, 2007).

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Spaces for multilingual education: language orientations in the national curricula of Sweden and Finland

Cited by 24 publications

References 26 publications

Norwegian L1 teachers’ beliefs about a multilingual approach in increasingly diverse classrooms

Norwegian L1 teachers’ beliefs about a multilingual approach in increasingly diverse classrooms

Academic Learners in Finland: The Experiences and Perceptions of First-Generation Migrant Family Students in Higher Education

The multivoiced English-for-young-learners subject in Sweden: Spaces for plurilingualism?

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