Language education professionals in multilingual ECEC institutions – Sprach-bildungsprofis in mehrsprachigen Kitas

Abstract

The cross-disciplinary research project ‘SprabiPiKs’ (‘Sprachbildungsprofis in mehrsprachigen Kitas’) – ‘Language education professionals in multilingual ECEC institutions’ – investigates a number of components related to the quality of interactions in multilingual early childhood education and care (ECEC). The project closely examines the interplay between the quality of interactions and pedagogical orientations on multilingualism, competencies of the professionals, and the conditions in ECEC facilities as well as in their neighbourhoods. To address the complexity, the sample consists of six childcare centres and their professionals. The project’s data collection method consists of interviews and group discussions with the professionals, videography of verbal interactions, and questionnaires on the conditions in the facilities and the neighbourhood. The objective is to contribute significantly to the understanding of the complex quality pattern in ECEC institutions from both an intercultural-educational and a linguistic perspective. Moreover, the project’s findings can be informative to enhance the quality of interactions with respect to the diverse linguistic backgrounds of children.

What prompts early childhood professionals to proffer advice to multilingual families? Investigating the association between language policy and perceived self-efficacy

“…These concerns are particularly salient in the early years -the cornerstone of children's language development. Alongside parents, early childhood professionals hold an enormous potential to foster language acquisition in children (Buschmann & Sachse, 2018;Cunningham, Zibulsky, & Callahan, 2009;Salem, Lengyel, Graßer, & Montanari, 2020) and encourage home language maintenance (Verdon, McLeod, & Winsler, 2014). The latter is of cardinal importance, because home language development will provide children with fundamental academic and socioemotional benefits, and foster intergenerational language transmission among families (De Houwer, 2017;Eisenchlas, Schalley, & Guillemin, 2013).…”