Preschool Teachers for Multilingual Families

Bibliographic Data

ID5901458
AuthorsEkaterina Protassova (0000-0002-8271-4909, University of Helsinki), Sergei Silkin (Finnish Literature Society)
Year2025
Volume10
Issue3
Pages37
Publication date2025-02-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguages (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages10030037
OpenAlexW4407922357
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited56

Successful interaction between family and preschool is crucial in the early stages of bilingual development. Traditionally, a Finnish-Russian preschool brings together children from Finnish-speaking, Russian-speaking, and bilingual families. Educators communicate with children and parents in different languages, using specific translanguaging strategies to develop both languages. The study explores how educators interact with parents and how children interact with each other without a common language. Reflective interviews with teachers explore various aspects of their professional activities, emphasizing the expert use of different languages to expand children's language skills and foster appreciation. Teachers' attitudes can shift upon reflection, underscoring the need for partnerships with parents. Additionally, the study analyzes educators' opinions about play without a common language among children with diverse languages. The longitudinal case study within a bilingual Finnish-Russian preschool thematically groups answers from 18 interviews, focusing on the dynamic relationship between teachers and parents, crucial for creating a supportive learning environment for children's holistic development. The results show that educators, when reflecting on their role in bilingual education, emphasize a wide range of positive examples of interactions with parents, from constructive professional relationships to long-lasting friendships. They believe that while they cannot replace family interactions, they can develop the child's abilities within their group of peers. Specifically, play without a common language allows children to communicate with peers in different languages

Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Sociology · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Multilingual Education and Policy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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