A handbook for english language enriched activities in finnish early childhood education

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive handbook for English language enriched activities, in Finnish early childhood education, aiming to enhance the English proficiency of children aged 3-4 years. The handbook called “Language Enriched Adventures for 3-4 year olds” was compiled, incorporating three main language skills: reading, speaking, and listening. The implementation site was a private ECEC services provider in the Espoo area. Three ECEC units were selected for the development task, where the finalized handbook was implemented over four weeks to assess its effectiveness in relation to functionality, feasibility, and practicality.

The theoretical framework consisted of principles of early language development, sociocultural theory, family-centered collaboration, and Finnish ECEC principles. A qualitative approach was adopted as it facilitates an in-depth understanding of the ECEC educators’ lived experiences, reflections, and perceptions in relation to the implementation of the development task.

Semi-structured interviews were utilized to gather feedback after the implementation of the handbook. Educators’ feedback was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study provided pedagogical insights in regard to the functionality of this handbook and has implications for ECEC educators from multilingual contexts.