Session Information
31 ONLINE 24 A, Preparing teachers for the challenges of language and literacy: Reflective, conceptual and didactical considerations
Paper Session
MeetingID: 868 3049 2361 Code: DRt3Aq
Contribution
The phenomenon of migration and the consequent cultural dissemination associated with this population movement is very old. People have always moved to different parts of the world motivated by numerous reasons – refuge from situations of war and conflict, poverty, desire for a better life or even the desire to venture out – which means that, crossing borders, they find other peoples with different cultures (Arnesen et al., 2008). In recent decades, the number of people living outside their country of origin has reached a very high and unprecedented value (Paddilla & Ortiz, 2012), so this linguistic and cultural superdiversity represents not only challenges for societies in general, but also for school contexts in particular (Beacco et al., 2016).
There are several studies that point out that students with a migrant background face different challenges in the schooling process (Atlas, Page, Pang & Park, 2009): challenges related to the migration process, the learning of a new language and adaptation to new rules and routines (Hamilton, 2013); challenges related to the socio-economic and political context of the host countries (Hamilton, 2013; Kytalla & Sinkkonen, 2014), and challenges directly related to their participation in educational contexts. Particularly, the linguistic offer of the school context, which does not always correspond to the needs of students; insufficient support for learning and lack of teacher education to deal with the issues that result from linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom context (Kyttala & Sinkkonen, 2014).
Regarding the (lack of) preparation of teachers to work in these contexts, some factors may be identified (Szelei, Tinoca & Pinho, 2019): (i) teachers do not feel comfortable approaching pedagogical practices and complex philosophies around cultural and linguistic diversity; (ii) teachers have difficulty using students' voices as pedagogical tools (May & Sleeter, 2010); (iii) teachers tend to have negative beliefs about the use their students' mother tongues in the classroom context (De Angelis, 2011).
There is an urgent need to redefine teaching practices so that they meet the needs of such a diverse audience of students who attend schools today (Szelei, Pinho & Tinoca, 2019). Thus, efforts have been made to identify not only the professional knowledge necessary to act in these contexts through the elaboration of reference frameworks or models (Forghani-Arani et al., 2019), but also to understand which devices may support teachers in developing effective practices in the classroom. It is crucial to develop contextualized policies to support teacher professional development (Darling-Hammond, 2017; Forghani-Arani et al., 2019). In this context, it is imperative to understand not only the challenges that this diversity represents, but also to portray the opportunities for professional development focused on pedagogies for linguistic and cultural diversity that are available to these teachers (Szelei, Tinoca & Pinho, 2020).
Against the backdrop of a doctoral project (SFRH/BD146034/2019), this communication intends to present an ongoing systematic literature review (SLR) of empirical work, which aims to map the main research trends in the field of teacher professional development in contexts marked by linguistic and cultural diversity. The guiding questions are: (i) What are the main concerns, in terms of problems, objectives and foci, of the studies; (ii) How is teacher professional development for linguistic and cultural diversity conceptualized?; (iii) Based on the studies’ findings and conclusions, what are the pressing implications for in-service teacher education?.
Method
Methodologically, we started with a pilot study that sought to improve research procedures (Monteiro & Pinho, 2021). Based on such pilot study, the current research protocol uses the Scopus and Web of Science databases, and follows the model proposed by Newman and Gough (2020) for SLR. Search strings with an asterisk and Boolean operators within the semantic field of linguistic and cultural diversity, and of teacher professional development, were used (Vilelas, 2009). Search fields included the title, abstract or keywords. Search descriptors were identified: empirical studies that used terms related to teacher professional development and linguistic and cultural diversity, published between 2010 and 2021, in Portuguese, English, French or Spanish. The document search based on the research descriptors will then be followed by the selection of studies based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, making way to the process of reading and coding the final corpus, based on content analysis procedures. Firstly, such procedures will be carried out by using a matrix of analysis composed of the following fields: object of study, problem, research objectives, research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodology, context and participants, results, implications/recommendations, limitations (Monteiro & Pinho, 2021). Secondly, and finally, we will move on to the definition of a set of broad categories for analyzing and discussing the data. Descriptive statistical analysis procedures will also be applied to the documentary corpus. Preliminary results will be presented based on emerging themes and categories.
Expected Outcomes
As this is a systematic literature review study that is still in progress, it is not yet possible to assess concrete results. However, considering the pilot study (Monteiro & Pinho, 2021), we anticipate findings regarding the teacher as a professional and citizen, teacher education processes, pedagogical practices, and school organization and policies. Finally, we intend to point out priorities for research and intervention in the context of in-teacher education and professional development related to linguistic and cultural diversity.
References
Arnesen, A., Birzea, C., Dumont, B., Essomba, M., Furch, E., Vallianatos, A. & Ferrer, F. (2008). Policies and practices for teaching socio-cultural diversity: survey’s report on initial education of teachers on socio-cultural diversity. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. Atlas, M., Page, C., Pang, V. & Park, C. (2009). Immigrant Students and Obstacles to Achievement, Kappan, 44-47. Beacco, J-C., Byram, M., Cavalli, M., Coste, D., Cuenat, M., Goullier, F., & Panthier, J. (2016). Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing. Darling-Hammond, L. (2017) Teacher education around the world: What can we learn from international practice. European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 291- 309, DOI: 10.1080/02619768.2017.1315399. De Angelis, G. (2011). Teachers’ beliefs about the role of prior language knowledge in learning and how these influence teaching practices. International Journal of Multilingualism, 8(3), 216-234. Forghani-Arani, N., Cerna, L., & Bannon, M. (2019). The lives of teachers in diverse classrooms. OCDE Education Working Paper, No. 198. Paris: OECD, Directorate for Education and Skills. Hamilton, L. (2013). It’s not all about academic achievement: Supporting the social and emotional needs of migrant worker children. Pastoral Care in Education, 31(2), 173-190. May, S. & Sleeter, C. (2010). Critical Multiculturalism: Theory and Praxis. California: Routledge. Monteiro, S. & Pinho, A. S. (2021). Professional Development of Teachers in Multilingual and Multicultural School Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review. Paper presented at 9th EDiLic International Congress 2021, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Newman, M. & Gough, D. (2020). Systematic reviews in educational research: methodology, perspectives and application. In O. Zawaki-Richter, M. Kerres, S. Bedenlier, K. Buntins, & M. Bond (Eds.), Systematic Reviews in Educational Research. Kyttala, M. & Sinkkonen, H. (2014). Experiences of Finnish teachers working with immigrant students. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 29(2), 167-183. Padilla, B., & Ortiz, A. (2012). Fluxos migratórios em Portugal: do boom migratório à desaceleração no contexto de crise. Balanços e desafios. REMHU : Revista Interdisciplinar Da Mobilidade Humana, 20(39), 159–184. Szelei, N., Pinho, A. S., & Tinoca, L. (2019). Rethinking ‘cultural activities’: An examination of how teachers utilised student voice as a pedagogical tool in multicultural schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 79, 176-187. Szelei, N., Tinoca, L., & Pinho, A.S. (2020). Professional development for cultural diversity: the challenges of teacher learning in context. Professional Development in Education, 46(5), 780-796. Vilelas, J. (2009). Investigação: o processo de construção do conhecimento. Lisboa: Edições Sílabo.
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