Rethinking the ‘ideal native speaker’ teacher in early childhood education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12112666 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julie Waddington (0000-0001-9094-0829, Universitat de Girona, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Language Culture and Curriculum (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0790-8318 • E-ISSN: 1747-7573 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07908318.2021.1898630 |
| OpenAlex | W3136434514 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 16 |
Current foreign language education policies advocate plurilingual approaches to learning and teaching languages and call into question the ‘ideal native speaker’ as the ultimate model. Observations within a teacher training context indicate that this ideal still holds considerable weight among pre-service teachers. A study was carried out with students enrolled on the degree programme in Early Childhood Education at a university in Catalonia to explore the extent to which the ‘ideal native speaker’ model prevails within this community. The study analysed data from different instruments applied within the context of a core module which includes an innovative approach to embedding English as a foreign language in the early years. Findings confirm the prevalence of the model and reveal beliefs and assumptions which not only perpetuate the ideal itself, but also reinforce disempowering and discriminatory attitudes which are incongruent with current policies regarding language education. Changes reported in post-intervention findings highlight the need to develop reflective skills alongside linguistic and didactic competences in Early Childhood EFL Education. One of the main contributions of the study is its identification of deficit views of non-specialist teachers and its call for collaborative practice in which all linguistic abilities have a place
First language · Ideal (ethics · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Sociology · Translanguaging · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Literacy, Media, and Education · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching
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English as a foreign language in ECE
A study of Taiwanese early childhood pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) growth mindset, English pedagogical competence, and readiness for integrated English curriculum
Local intercultural language assistants in New Zealand classrooms
Studies on pre-primary learners of foreign languages, their teachers, and parents
The role of plurilingual parenting in parental engagement of immigrant families
Plurilingualism for social justice
Early foreign language education
Defining competencies for training non-native Korean speaking teachers
Bilingual Minds
Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and Practice
First steps in qualitative data analysis
Displacing the ‘native speaker’
Native-speakerism
Early childhood education in English for speakers of other languages
Early years second language education. International perspectives on theory and practice
Content-based instruction and content and language integrated learning
Non-native English-speaking English language teachers
The Idealised Native Speaker, Reified Ethnicities, and Classroom Realities
| Citations per year | 1.8 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |