The goal of this study is to examine how the relatively new phenomenon of multilingualism in the Finnish education system is presently managed in foreign language classes in the Finnish comprehensive
school. The focus is on how bi- and multilingual learners with migration background can benefit from
their previous individual language experiences, language learning experiences and language awareness
processes, and how these function as a resource for their further (foreign) language learning process.
Until now migration research in the Finnish context concentrating on language learning mainly consists
of second language acquisition. This study, however, focusses on foreign language learning of learners
with migration background and, using mixed data collection methods and triangulating the data, explores it from the perspective of learners, foreign language teachers and legal guardians. The data was
collected drawing upon questionnaires and self-portraits of learners from
three comprehensive schools
(N=34), semi-structured interviews with foreign language teachers (N=6), and mothers of children with
migration background (N=4), and also written answers to two questions from nearly all interviewed
teachers (N=5). The data was analyzed through content analysis, where three key concepts with regard
to multilingualism were central to the analysis of the data: perception of (die Wahrnehmung), attitude to
(die Haltung), and dealing with (der Umgang) multilingualism. The results indicate that most of the
learners with migration background have a positive appreciation and attitude to their own multilingualism. They engage in multilingual interactions with different people in various situations nearly every
day. They feel supported by their classmates and foreign language teachers, and most of them are very
open-minded and motivated to learn other foreign languages. The preconditions for their foreign language learning process are perceived as fairly good. The foreign language teachers respectfully express
their willingness to interact with the learners of migrant background (mainly in Finnish); they particularly look after these learners, which is also supported by the learners’ mothers. The results also show
that the native languages of the learners with migration background were often present for themselves
during the foreign language lessons. For instance, they translate new words not only into Finnish but
into their own native language(s) and they compare information belonging to cultural aspects of the
new foreign language with Finnish and their own culture(s). Learners can recognize benefits from their
multilingual know-how and are aware of synergy- and transfer processes between their native languages and the foreign language. Although foreign language teachers also realize that the learners’ multilingual skills are a resource for the learners themselves and for the whole group of foreign language
learners, the findings show that the native languages of the bi- and multilingual learners are more or
less ignored during their foreign language learning lessons. The study indicates that on the one hand the
foreign language teachers feel uncertain about dealing with the native languages of their learners, and
on the other hand they have a lack of pedagogical methods/concepts to challenge and support these bi-
and multilingual learners. Furthermore, the results suggest that foreign language teachers are not well
informed about both previous individual language experiences and language learning experiences of
the learners with migration background and are not involved in the cooperation between the legal
guardians and the school. The mothers pointed out that nobody has asked them about their language
backgrounds nor had they met a foreign language teacher at all. According to the results of this study it
seems quite evident that in the future foreign language teachers training could concentrate on finding
effective pedagogical methods and concepts so that multilingual learners with migration background
can benefit effectively from their multilingualism during the foreign language learning lessons.
Keywords: bilingualism, equality, esteem, Finnish education system, foreign language learning, individual
language experience, migration, multilingualism, language awareness process, language learning experience,
resource
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