Abstract
Educators and researchers increasingly recognize the impact of teachers’ agency on language education policy enactment in their classrooms. The study is aimed to conduct cross-cultural comparisons of Israeli and Icelandic teachers regarding their agency towards linguistically and culturally diverse children in a preschool context. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 selected teachers who had rich pedagogical experience in educating children with immigrant background. In both countries, we found that teachers’ agency was expressed on continuums from teachers’ proactivity to teachers' passiveness regarding linguistically and culturally diverse teaching; from perception of home language as a resource to viewing it as a barrier to the child's progress in the societally dominant language; and from equal relationships to teacher-parents’ hierarchical relationships. Despite historical and socio-cultural differences between the two countries, we found striking similarities between the teachers in their reports on classroom management of diversity and interactions with children and families.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 101125 |
| Journal | Linguistics and Education |
| DOIs | |
| State | Accepted/In press - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Six fundamental pillars underpin educational policy in the National Curriculum Guides. These are literacy, sustainability, health and welfare, democracy and human rights, equality, and creativity. Literacy, democracy, human rights, and equality are all related to multilingualism. Additionally, in recent years some policies regarding multicultural and multilingual issues in education have been developed. Thus, in September 2020, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture published Guidelines for the support of mother tongues and active plurilingualism in schools and afterschool programs ( Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, 2020 ). In the introduction to the guidelines it is stated that
Funding Information:
This work was supported by 1Oranim Academic College of Education Research Fund, Israel. 2Municipality of Nof HaGalil, Israel. 3The Rashi Foundation, Israel. 4University of Iceland Research Fund, Iceland. the Israeli national inter-collegiate center for the research and development of programs in teacher education and teaching in the colleges; and The Israeli Center for Educational Technology. Our grateful thanks go to the Director of Educational Programs, Center for Jewish–Arab Education in Israel “Hand in Hand,” Dr. Mila Schwartz and Naomi Gorbatt 161 Inas Deeb, and to the School Principal of the Bridge over the Wadi (Gesher al HaWadi), Dr. Hasan Agbaria. We would also like to thank the teachers in the kindergartens, for their unlimited support and fruitful collaboration, and the children for their active participation, University of Iceland Research Fund.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Israeli national inter-collegiate center for the research and development of programs in teacher education and teaching in the colleges; and The Israeli Center for Educational Technology. Our grateful thanks go to the Director of Educational Programs, Center for Jewish–Arab Education in Israel “Hand in Hand,” Dr. Mila Schwartz and Naomi Gorbatt 161 Inas Deeb, and to the School Principal of the Bridge over the Wadi (Gesher al HaWadi), Dr. Hasan Agbaria.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
Keywords
- Agency
- Israel, Iceland
- Linguistically and culturally diverse children
- Preschool education
- Teacher-parents’ relationships
- Teachers’ agency
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Education
- Linguistics and Language
