Abstract
Heritage language education (HLE) problematizes issues of second language studies and culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay. Culturally responsive teaching: theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press, New York, 2000), as it provides some answers to the sensitive topic of quality education of students of foreign background in mainstream schools (Trifonas and Aravossitas. Rethinking heritage language education. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2014). HLE and plurilingualism receive increased attention and recognition worldwide, especially in North America and in the European Union (Council of Europe. Plurilingual Education in Europe. 50 Years of International Cooperation. 2006 [cited 2016 Jun 18]. Available from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/source/plurinlingaleducation_en.pdf; Cummins. Mainstreaming plurilingualism: restructuring heritage language in schools. In Trifonas and Aravossitas (eds) Rethinking heritage language education. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2014; García and Wei. Translanguaging. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2014). This qualitative research paper provides insights into experiences and views of parents of foreign origin and their children who attend Icelandic compulsory schools and study their HL in a nonformal system; it presents students’ attitudes toward their developing linguistic repertoires and parents’ experience of their participation in this process, including communication and cooperation with their children’s schools. The information from the participants is situated within the context of national and local policies. The findings reveal discrepancies between official statements and parents’ and students’ needs, on the one hand, and the school practices, on the other hand. We argue that building on the resources of the students, their backgrounds, cultures, and especially languages promotes students’ success and that school is missing out on considerable educational opportunities. Furthermore, considering how difficult it is for parents and students of foreign origin to take an extra initiative to build bridges between their original culture and the compulsory education, the lack of schools’ active approach to culturally responsive pedagogies and promoting students’ linguistic repertoires has significant influence on students’ social and academic outcomes in the mainstream schools.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. (2006). Móðurmálið er undirstaðan. Paper presented at the Móðurmál er máttur, Reykjavík.
Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Banks, J. A. (2009). Multicultural education: Dimensions and paradigms. New York/London: Routlege.
Boeren, E. (2011). Gender differences in formal, non-formal and informal adult learning. Studies in Continuing Education, 3, 333–346.
Bolten, J. (2003). Interkulturelle Kompetenz. Erfurt: Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Thüringen.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research. A practical guide for beginners. Los Angeles: Sage.
Butler, Y. G., & Hakuta, K. (2006). Bilingualism and second language acquisition. In T. K. Bhatia & W. C. Ritchie (Eds.), The handbook of bilingualism. Oxford: Blackwell.
Coelho, E. (2012). Language and learning in multilingual classroom. Toronto: Multilingual Matters.
Council of Europe. (2006). Plurilingual education in Europe. 50 years of international cooperation [cited 2016 Jun 18]. Available from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/source/plurinlingaleducation_en.pdf
Cummins, J. (2000). Learning to read in a second language: fact and friction. In S. Shaw (Ed.), Intercultural education in European classrooms. London: Trentham.
Cummins, J. (2001). Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention. Harvard Educational Review, 71(4), 649–655.
Cummins, J. (2004). Language, power and pedagogy. Bilingual children in the crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Cummins, J. (2014). Mainstreaming plurilingualism: Restructuring heritage language in schools. In P. P. Trifonas & T. Aravossitas (Eds.), Rethinking heritage language education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cummins, J., & Early, M. (2011). Identity texts: The collaborative creation of power in multilingual schools. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
García, O., Sylvan, C. E., & Witt, D. (2011). Pedagogies and practices in multilingual classrooms: Singularities in pluralities. The Modern Language Journal, 95(3), 385–400.
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Kristinsson, S. (2003). Siðfræði rannsókna og siðanefndir. In S. Halldórsdóttir (Ed.), Handbók í aðferðafræði rannsókna. Akureyri: Háskólinn á Akureyri.
Leskopf, S., Sætran, J. B., Þorsteinsdóttir, R. B., Jónsdóttir, F. B., Kristjánsdóttir, S., & Emilsson Peskova, R. (2015). Skýrsla starfshóps um móðurmálskennslu barna með annað móðurmál en íslensku. Reykjavík: Skóla- og frístundasvið Reykjavíkurborgar.
Lichtman, M. (2013). Qualitative research in education: A user’s guide (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.
May, S. (2010). Introduction critical multiculturalism and education: Theory and practice. In S. May & C. E. Sleeter (Eds.), Critical multiculturalism and education: Theory and practice. New York: Routledge.
Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytið. (2013). Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla: almennur hluti 2011: greinasvið 2013. Reykjavík: Mennta- og menningarmálaraðuneyti.
Móðurmál. (2016). [Internet] [updated 2016 June 15; cited 2016 May 18]. Available from www.modurmal.com
Müller, B. D. (2003). Linguistic awareness of cultures. Principles of a training module. In P. Kistler & S. Konivuori (Eds.), Jyväskylä UNESCO international conference on intercultural learning. Jyväskilä: University of Jyväskylä.
Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. New York: Teachers College Press.
OECD. (2016). Education policy outlook: Iceland [updated 2016, April; cited 2016 June 29]. Available from www.oecd.org/edu/policyoutlook.htm
Ólafsdóttir S. (2015). The development of vocabulary and reading comprehension among Icelandic second language learners (Ph.D.). Prentsmiðjan Oddi, Reykjavík.
Potowski, K. (2013). No child left monolingual [Internet] [cited 2016 May 18]. Available from http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/No-Child-Left-Monolingual-Kim-P/
Ragnarsdóttir, H. (2007). Fjölmenningarfræði. In H. Ragnarsdóttir, E. S. Jónsdóttir, & M. Þ. Bernharðsson (Eds.), Fjölmenning á Íslandi. Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan.
Skóla- og frístundasvið. (2014). Heimurinn er hér. Stefna skóla- og frístundasviðs Reykjavíkur um fjölmenningarlegt skóla- og frístundastarf. Reykjavík: Skóla- og frístundasvið Reykjavíkur.
Skutnabb-Kangas, T., & Toukomaa, P. (1976). Teaching migrant children’s mother tongue and learning the language of the host country in the context of the socio-cultural situation of the migrant family. Tampere: University of Tampere.
Thomas, W., & Collier, V. (1997). Two languages are better than one. Educational Leadership, 55(4), 23–26.
Thomas, W., & Collier, V. (2003). The multiple benefits of dual language. Educational Leadership, 61(2), 61–64.
Tisdall, E. K. M., Gallagher, M., & Davis, J. M. (2010). Researching with children & young people. Los Angeles: Sage.
Trần, AÐK. (2015). Untapped resources or deficient ‘Foreigners’ (Ph.D.). University of Iceland, Reykjavík.
Trifonas, P. P., & Aravossitas, T. (2014). Rethinking heritage language education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
United Nations. (1990). Convention on the rights of the child [Internet] [cited 2016 May 18]. Available from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx
Wozniczka, A. K., & Berman, R. (2011). Home language environment of Polish children in Iceland and their second-language academic achievement. Reykjavík: Ráðstefnurit Netlu–Menntakvika.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Emilsson Peskova, R., Ragnarsdóttir, H. (2016). Strengthening Linguistic Bridges Between Home and School: Experiences of Immigrant Children and Parents in Iceland. In: Trifonas, P., Aravossitas, T. (eds) Handbook of Research and Practice in Heritage Language Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38893-9_29-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38893-9_29-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-38893-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-38893-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education