In this study, I examine how the role of written language is reflected in early foreign language education. Foreign languages have been taught in all Finnish schools since spring 2020, starting in the first grade. Based on previous studies (e.g., Hahl et al., 2020), some teachers have been uncertain about the appropriate working methods for early foreign language teaching. Some have expressed concern that not all 1st and 2nd grade students can read and write yet – previously, foreign language teaching mainly began in 3rd grade, when most students were already literate. On the other hand, some teachers have stated that written language is not necessary in early language education.  

The Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (EDUFI, 2016) gives teachers room for interpretation. In early language teaching, the description of the curriculum content and objectives covers grades 1–2. According to the curriculum, early language teaching should emphasize oral interaction and diverse, functional learning. Opportunities to become familiar with the written language should also be provided, and pupils should be gradually encouraged to read and write in the foreign language. However, pupils are not required to have reading or writing skills at the beginning of foreign language education.   

This study is part of the second article of my doctoral dissertation, which continues the theme of my first article on the role of written language in early language education. My dissertation is part of a larger research project that examines teachers' perceptions of multiliteracies and how these perceptions are reflected in teaching practices in early foreign language education.   

In my first article (Hakola, draft), I studied teachers' views on written language in first-grade foreign language teaching based on teacher interviews. The teachers interpreted and implemented the "gradual introduction to written language" aspect of the curriculum in different ways, which were divided into three groups: 1) written language is a natural part of diverse language teaching, 2) written language is visible, but reading and writing are not emphasized, and 3) written language does not belong in foreign language teaching in the first grade. The study also highlighted the role of written language as a calming activity or alternative when functionality fails.  

Teachers' views on teaching, language teaching, and learning have a significant impact on what their teaching looks like in practice (Krogager & Andersen 2021). In this study, I focus on classroom observation data to examine how the role of written language is reflected in foreign language teaching practice.  To achieve this, I will answer the following research questions: 

1. How and to what extent does written target language appear in foreign language lessons in grade 1?    

2. How are teachers' perceptions of the role of written target language reflected in their teaching practices? 

In this study, I focus on analyzing data from classroom observations, which consists of completed observation forms and video recordings from lessons of three teachers. The teachers were selected for this study because, based on my previous research, their views on written language and its use in first-grade foreign language teaching differ from each other. Three teachers were selected for this study. The first teacher sees written language as part of a multifaceted language teaching approach. This teacher says that they use diverse methods to teach language and mentions writing and reading as activities they use. The second teacher is aware of the discussion about written language. This teacher explains that they make a conscious choice to familiarize their students with written language and sees it as a means of differentiation. The third teacher avoids showing and using written language in first grade foreign language lessons almost entirely, with a few exceptions. I analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis (Krippendorff, 2019). I selected four consecutive language lessons from each teacher, identified all the activities in the lessons and examined which areas of the target language (heard, written, spoken) appeared in them. I then focused on activities where written language appeared and examined the role of the written language in them. Finally, I selected illustrative examples of each role that I will present in my presentation.

As with the teachers' views on the target language, there were both similarities and differences in their practices. Most of the activities were based on oral and spoken language. However, written language was often visible, for example, as vocabulary displayed on the board, on the students' task cards, and as subtitles for songs or videos. In these cases, written language appeared passively, and it was not necessary for students to focus on it. In a few activities, the students were asked to read or write. In the early foreign language teaching of the teacher who said they avoided written language, written language was not visible almost at all – it was visible on the classroom walls, but not in the teaching itself.

EDUFI. (2016). National core curriculum for basic education 2014. Publications 2016:5. Finnish National Agency for Education. Hahl, K., Savijärvi, M., & Wallinheimo, K. (2020). Varhennetun kieltenopetuksen käytäntöjä: Opettajien kokemuksia onnistumisista ja haasteista. [Practices in early language teaching: Teachers' experiences of successes and challenges.] In R. Hildén & K. Hahl (Eds.), Kielididaktiikan katse tulevaisuuteen: Haasteita, mahdollisuuksia ja uusia avauksia kielten opetukseen (s. 77–103). Ainedidaktisen tutkimusseuran julkaisuja. Helsingin yliopisto. Hakola, E (draft). “So, there’s now this controversy going on about whether first graders should see that text” - Teachers' views on The Role of Written Language in Early Foreign Language Education Krippendorff, K. (2019). Content analysis. An introduction to its methodology. 4th edition. SAGE. Krogager Andersen, L. (2021). Three perspectives on the role of teacher beliefs in the language classroom. Apples – Journal of Applied Language Studies, 15(2), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.47862/apples.103078