Language Education for Everyone? Busting Access Myths
Ennser-Kananen, J., Kilpeläinen, E., Saarinen, T., & Vaarala, H. (2023). Language Education for Everyone? Busting Access Myths. In M. Thrupp, P. Seppänen, J. Kauko, & S. Kosunen (Eds.), Finland’s Famous Education System : Unvarnished Insights into Finnish Schooling (pp. 351-367). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8241-5_22
Date
2023Discipline
Monilukutaito oppimisessa ja yhteiskunnallisessa osallisuudessaMonitieteinen oppimisen ja opetuksen tutkimusKieletHyvinvoinnin tutkimuksen yhteisöSoveltava kielentutkimusSoveltava kielentutkimus (profilointiala)Kielikoulutuspolitiikan verkostoMultiliteracies for social participation and in learning across the life spanMultidisciplinary research on learning and teachingLanguagesSchool of WellbeingApplied language studiesApplied language studies for the changing society (profiling area)Finnish Network for Language Education PoliciesCopyright
© The Author(s) 2023
Finland has, rather successfully, promoted an image of itself as a model of educational excellence and linguistic equity. This chapter problematises this image by analysing Finnish language education policies at the comprehensive school level. For our analysis we use a three-fold understanding of access as; (a) having the opportunity to participate in language education (getting in); (b) participating in education that is meaningful and effective for the pupil (getting it); and (c) receiving credentials that are societally legitimate and valuable assets (getting out). We elaborate on each aspect of access by debunking three myths for the Finnish context that: (a) Multilingualism is politically valued; (b) the curriculum promotes multilingual education; and (c) the education system offers equal opportunities to all, regardless of language. We conclude with a mixed picture. While initiatives have been put in place to expand participation in language learning and develop multilingual pedagogies, the societal status of national languages and constitutional bilingualism have also, somewhat paradoxically, strengthened monolingual ideologies. Such ideologies have contributed to the erasure of Indigenous and autochthonous languages from education and minimise the position of allochthonous (migrant) languages in curriculum and education. We propose several reforms in teacher education and a more systematic, long term, national supervision of (language) education policy in the service of equitable multilingual education.
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Publisher
Springer SingaporeParent publication ISBN
978-981-19-8240-8Is part of publication
Finland’s Famous Education System : Unvarnished Insights into Finnish SchoolingKeywords
Finnish education system Finnish policies and education Finnish education social justice and education political structures and education policy developments and education social class and education gender inequalities and education ethnic diversity and education urban studies and education policy sociology and education Finnish schooling Bourdieu and education Foucault and education sosiaalinen oikeudenmukaisuus koulutuspolitiikka koulutusjärjestelmät koulutussosiologia tasa-arvokasvatus kaupunkitutkimus koulutuspalvelut tasa-arvo koulutustavoitteet koulutussuunnittelu koulutus
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https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/177288471
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