ERIC Number: EJ1268576
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1931-3152
EISSN: N/A
Spaces for Multilingual Education: Language Orientations in the National Curricula of Sweden and Finland
International Multilingual Research Journal, v14 n4 p304-318 2020
Both Sweden and Finland have education systems promoting equity and equality. However, recent societal and political changes linked to increased immigration have created new challenges in efforts to support linguistic diversity. This paper aims to explore how multilingualism is represented in the national compulsory school curricula in the two contexts, using the language orientation framework: language as problem, right, or resource. The analysis reveals differences. In Finland, an explicit discourse on multilingual education exists, with an aim of integrating multilingual perspectives into the whole curriculum. In Sweden, however, the discourse is less explicit; and multilingualism as a concept is limited to minority language students. Considering language orientations in the two curricula affords an understanding of the spaces for multilingual education that are key to our possibilities as educators to promote linguistic diversity and social justice in the schools of today's global societies.
Descriptors: National Curriculum, Cross Cultural Studies, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Multilingualism, Compulsory Education, Foreign Countries, Equal Education, Social Change, Political Influences, Language Minorities, Civil Rights, Native Language, Language Attitudes, Social Justice, Language of Instruction, Swedish, Finno Ugric Languages, Guidelines, Elementary Secondary Education
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden; Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A