Flerspråkighet på åländska daghem : en kvalitativ undersökning om hur flerspråkighet beaktas ur en pedagogisk synvinkel av barnträdgårdslärarna på Åland.

Abstract

Syftet med mitt arbete är att ta reda på hur barnträdgårdslärarna på Åland beaktar de finskspråkiga barnen och hur de främjar deras språkliga utveckling. Jag har valt att skriva ur den pedagogiska synvinkeln och jag vill främst lägga tyngdpunkten på barnträdgårdslärarna och deras pedagogiska. Jag fokuserar detta arbete på hur det finska språket tas emot i den åländska daghemsverksamheten. Mina två huvudfrågor som jag baserar detta arbete på är:

Hur tar de åländska barnträdgårdslärarna med de finskspråkiga barnen i sin pedagogiska verksamhet? Hur främjar de barnen i sin språkutveckling både i sitt första språk men också i det andra språket?

Teoridelen redogör språk och identitet, flerspråkig utveckling, interkulturellt förhållningssätt, förskolans pedagogiska förhållningssätt, språkutvecklande arbetssätt och språkutvecklande strategier.

Undersökningen genomfördes genom intervjuer med barnträdgårdslärare på fyra daghem i Mariehamn. Slutsatsen blev, att genom att skapa trygghet och rutiner för barnet samtidigt som barnträdgårdslärarna behandlar barnet jämlikt blir barnet delaktigt i den pedagogiska verksamheten. Barnträdgårdslärarna arbetar i huvudsak med att stödja andraspråket genom mångsidiga metoder och material som till exempel diskussion, sång och bilder som stöd då ingen hemspråksundervisning erbjuds. Det framläggs att barnträdgårdslärare uppmuntrar och förespråkar att förstaspråket skall används i hemmet av föräldrarna. Det är en viktig förutsättning att förstaspråket har en god grund för att barnet skall kunna utveckla ett andraspråk.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the nursery school teachers on the Aland Island consider the Finnish-speaking children and how they support their language development. I have chosen to write from a pedagogical point of view and I would like to emphasize the importance of the nursery school teacher’s educational role in this. This thesis focus on how Finnish language is received on the nursery of Aland Island. I have mainly used two essential questions in this thesis that I have based my result on. The questions are as follows:

How does the Aland Island nursery school teachers consider the Finnish-speaking children in their educational activities?

How do they support the children in their language development both in their first language but also in the second language?

The theoretical chapter of the thesis work is processing following subjects; language and identity, multilingual development, intercultural approach, preschool’s educational approach, language-developing approaches and language development strategies.

I have used a qualitative method in my thesis work. I have done deep interviews with selected nursery school teachers from Mariehamn. The conclusion is that by creating a safe environment and routines for the child while the nursery school teacher treats the child equally, the child becomes involved in the educational activities. The nursery school teachers work mainly to support the second language through versatile methods and materials such as discussion, song and pictures in support, because no native language education is offered. It’s suggested that the nursery school teachers encourage and advocates that the first language is used in the home by the parents. It’s an important presumption to understand that the children need a good foundation in his first language before he can develop a second language.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the nursery school teachers on the Aland Island consider the Finnish-speaking children and how they support their language development. I have chosen to write from a pedagogical point of view and I would like to emphasize the importance of the nursery school teacher’s educational role in this. This thesis focus on how Finnish language is received on the nursery of Aland Island. I have mainly used two essential questions in this thesis that I have based my result on. The questions are as follows:

- How does the Aland Island nursery school teachers consider the Finnish-speaking children in their educational activities?

- How do they support the children in their language development both in their first language but also in the second language?

The theoretical chapter of the thesis work is processing following subjects; language and identity, multilingual development, intercultural approach, preschool’s educational approach, language-developing approaches and language development strategies.

I have used a qualitative method in my thesis work. I have done deep interviews with selected nursery school teachers from Mariehamn. The conclusion is that by creating a safe environment and routines for the child while the nursery school teacher treats the child equally, the child becomes involved in the educational activities. The nursery school teachers work mainly to support the second language through versatile methods and materials such as discussion, song and pictures in support, because no native language education is offered. It’s suggested that the nursery school teachers encourage and advocates that the first language is used in the home by the parents. It’s an important presumption to understand that the children need a good foundation in his first language before he can develop a second language.