Kuntatason kielikoulutusta kehittämässä: Autobiografinen tutkimus erään kielenopettajan ammatillisesta kasvusta kuntatason kielikoulutuspoliittisessa kontekstissa

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the professional growth of a languages teacher in the municipality level context while making language education policy. The study focuses on how a teacher can impact language planning and language education policy during the professional growth. This study approaches lan-guage training policy autobiographical, auto ethnographical and narrative. The research shows how language learning development is organized and imple-mented in Finland at the community level. The research question is What kind of opportunities are there for a language teacher to develop language teaching in multiple language policy making environments? There is relatively little research on how an individual teacher can influence national level language education policy decision-making and how national level policies are implemented at the community level. In this dissertation I use an autobiographical approach based on my own professional growth as a basis to explore the above-mentioned research questions and I lean my approach to Urie Bronnfenbrenners ecological system theory. This dissertation includes three independent articles on classroom level language learning development, pre-service foreign language teacher education and in-service education of heritage language teachers. Common to the articles are the themes of authenticity in language learning and how communities use discretionary government transfer for the development of language learning as well as collaboration in language learning development with the University of Jyväskylä. The dissertation's data consists of materials collected during development projects, including parent and student feedback and development project discourse.