Presentation, tal eller offentligt framträdande
From policy-as-discourse to policy-as-practice: Designing language sensitive continuing professional development for ECEC
Startdatum: 28.08.2018
Evenemangstid: 28.8.-31.8.2018
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Beskrivning • Research aims
The aim of the study is to discuss the expectations on language sensitivity of ECEC teachers in renewed curriculum and strategy documents and how these expectations can be transformed in to every day practices in minority language medium ECEC through continuing professional development
• Relationship to previous research works
Finland with two official national languages offers a solid foundation for multilingualism, but the rapid changes in proportion of speakers of other languages have accentuated the need to better equip Finnish teachers for linguistic and cultural diversity. At the same time voluntary language studies have decreased. This decrease has led to the need for early start in language learning.
• Theoretical and conceptual framework
We explore Spolsky’s (2004) concept ‘language policy’ that can be divided into three interrelated dimensions: ‘management’, ‘ideology’ and ‘praxis’.
• Paradigm, methodology and methods
The analysis is done within the qualitative paradigm and the methodology used is discourse analysis and action research.
• Ethical Considerations
Research follows the ethical considerations as stated by Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK).
• Main finding or discussion
Different separate - but highly intertwined - societal discourses have resulted in a strong support for diversity in ‘policy as discourse’ and a strong political engagement in terms of funding for ´policy in practice´. However, an actual change in ECEC practices is slow and needs further support before policy in discourse really becomes policy in practice.
• Implications, practice or policy
Teacher training and continuing professional development for ECEC need to be developed to meet the various expectations on renewed language policy in ECEC. |