Home Language Use for Learning: Teachers' Beliefs After the Multilingual Turn in Education Policies

• In Event: Contexts, Policies, and Practices Teaching Multilingual Learners

Abstract

We investigated teachers’ (N=667) beliefs about students’ home language use in learning with an online survey and content-driven thematic analysis. The results indicated that most of the teachers’ beliefs were in accordance with the current Finnish educational policies: teachers either neutrally or positively allowed home language use in their classrooms. However, 20% of the respondents would deny the home language use, against the educational policy. Of the respondents, 36% argued that home language use supports learning; thus, their beliefs were in line with current research knowledge. However, only 1% of the respondents referred to the National Core Curricula when justifying the use of home languages. Thus, attention should be given to helping teachers better understand the rationale for multilingual pedagogies.

Authors

• Jenni Alisaari, University of Turku
  Presenting Author

• Mari Bergroth, University of Helsinki
  Non-Presenting Author

• Leena Maria Heikkola, Åbo Akademi University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Raisa Harju-Autti
  Non-Presenting Author

• Salla Sissonen, University of Turku
  Non-Presenting Author

• Heli Vigren, University of Turku
  Non-Presenting Author