Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

Laptop Poster Session for Graduate Students

Swedish/Finnish

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion

This poster presentation will discuss an ongoing doctoral study on family language policy in the context of Swedish language immersion in Finland. The presentation includes an overview of the aim, data and methods as well as some early results of the study.

In my poster presentation I will discuss my ongoing doctoral study on family language policy in the context of one-way early total Swedish immersion education in Finland. Family language policy (FLP) is a growing area of research, which examines language ideologies, language practices and language management within the family domain (see King 2013: 49-50). Applying a family language policy perspective within immersion education research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the linguistic and cultural socialization of the immersion student, which takes place in school as well as in the family domain simultaneously.

The aim of my study is to provide insight into the motivational orientations of the parents choosing immersion education for their children as well as the dynamics of parental involvement in their children’s education. I further seek to uncover the language ideological underpinnings of these parental efforts and practices. A further interest is the children’s potential agentive roles in shaping the linguistic ideologies and practices of the family.

Previous research on families within Swedish language immersion in Finland is almost exclusively based on questionnaire data (see e.g. Bergroth 2007), whereas my study applies a mixed methods approach (questionnaire, group discussions and thematic life stories), aiming to provide deeper insight into the backgrounds, ideologies and experiences of families in language immersion.

In my presentation I will give an overview of the aim, data collection and methods as well as some early results of my study. My study is part of a larger project, which explores the interplay between language practices, multilingual identity and language ideologies in language immersion.

References:

Bergroth, M. (2007). Kielikylpyperheet valokeilassa. Taustat ja odotukset. Selvityksiä ja raportteja 145. Vaasan yliopisto.

King, K.A. (2013). A Tale of Three Sisters: Language Ideologies, Identities, and Negotiations in a Bilingual, Transnational Family. International Multilingual Research Journal, 7, 49–65.