Multilingualism for life – language awareness as key element in educational training: insights from an intervention study in Germany

Abstract

Normative-theoretical discourse in pedagogy calls for transformation in educational approaches towards multilingualism. The key question in multilingual education remains: Can language ideologies be transformed? The present paper investigates how the field of language awareness can contribute to this process and what practical changes and implemented transformation can be experienced within a learning environment where this change in beliefs has occurred. Based on an intervention in six German preschool institutions that have recently experienced new immigration, it presents a qualitative study with education professionals. The findings first reveal the prevailing monolingual sense in dealing with linguistic diversity. However, the results also illustrate that a change is possible, and allow deep insights into the transformation process. The key elements consist of professionalisation that allows educators to try new multilingual approaches in everyday practice and to raise their language awareness in the light of newly acquired knowledge and experience. This, however, requires an implementation of language awareness in regular teacher training and political measures that would make the topic compulsory for all professionals.

Keywords:

• Language awareness
• language beliefs
• multilingualism
• early childhood education
• professionalisation

Notes

Notes

1 In the present paper the term ‘multilingualism’ is used in a pedagogical perspective, referring to all linguistic resources of a child and its value, independent of the competence or the chronology of acquisition (Gogolin, 2008).

2 The public German school system differentiates four types of secondary school according to children’s academic abilities and wishes of their families: Hauptschule, Mittelschule/Realschule, Gymnasium, Gesamtschule.

3 The term ‘heritage language’ is subject to controversial discussion in pedagogical discourse as it bears an idea of a (foreign) heritage with no actual relevance for the child’s lifeworld. The present paper adopts the term ‘family languages’ used in German pedagogical discourse.

4 Vielfalt in Kita - Professionalisierung pädagogischer Selbstwirksamkeit im Umgang mit sprachlicher Heterogenität‘.

5 The questionnaire for teachers was developed by Fuerstenau and Huxel (Fürstenau & Huxel, 2014) and adjusted to early childhood professionals.

6 Here and further, the German original was translated into English by the author.