Introduction: Non-dominant languages in educational policy change: Key actors and agency

• In Event: Language-in-education policy change: Should we pay more attention to grassroots actors and actions on behalf of non-dominant languages?

Proposal

This presentation describes recent developments in Kosonen & Benson’s (2021) framework for analyzing language-in-education policy change toward increased use of non-dominant languages for instruction. The original framework characterizes policy change moments as initiated 1) from above, 2) from below, or 3) from the side, defining the agents/actors at each level. The framework also suggests trajectories of change over time, referring to some well-documented country cases, and proposes four theoretical models of policy change process with the descriptive names of top-down, bottom-up, piloting, and advocacy. It is argued that successful and sustainable policy change towards increased use of non-dominant languages in education requires interaction between all three levels—and over an extended period.

The presentation provides examples of different models of policy change and demonstrates how the framework is intended to support effective analysis through the use of timelines. We also explore the composition of the “below” level, where there was a gap in our earlier analysis, and suggest methods for naming and discussing grassroots actors and actions. We expand on the participation of non-dominant language communities as a key factor using the concept of agency. We also emphasize the identification of “seminal points” in time to complement the role of “key actors” in different phases of policy change.

We conclude by re-assessing the types of change processes that are most likely to contribute to sustainable policy change and implementation of the policy. This presentation and the nuanced framework form the basis of further discussion in the case study of Tamazight in Morocco, the meta-analysis of chapter author roles in language policy change, and particularly the final paper that synthesizes the development of our analyses.

Author

• Kimmo Kosonen, FiBS