For more than a decade a shift in language policy with regard to integration and citizenship can be observed in most Western European countries. This shift strongly impacts on language policies and practices in education. Knowledge of the dominant language is considered as the most important (if not the main) factor for a successful integration and school career of immigrant children. Specifically in Regions like Flanders (Belgium), educational language policies are characterized by a clear monolingual approach, thus explaining educational failure primarily by insufficient language skills in the dominant language. The specific history of Flanders – the process of linguistic, cultural and more recently economic emancipation of the different regions in Belgium – plays an important role in outlining the Flemish language and integration policies.

This monolingual perspective is highly ideologically driven. The ‘linguistic capital’,  brought to the school by pupils with different social and ethnic backgrounds is seen as less valuable and even obstructive for a successful school career.

Monolingual ideologies strongly impact not only on the perceptions and beliefs of teachers and pupils, but also on their inter-subjective relations (Woolard and Shieffelin, 2000; Pacini-Ketchabaw and Armstrong de Almeida, 2006; Wortham, 2008). Pupils’ linguistic capital is not activated and used as a didactical resource for learning. It is suppressed. The believe that immigrant pupils lack the linguistic skills needed to be successful at school are overemphasized . This affects pupils’ beliefs, and their self esteem, classroom involvement and motivation for learning. Unwillingly, these mutually reinforcing mechanisms contribute to processes of social reproduction (Bourdieu, 1990; Bourdieu and Passeron, 1977; Ogbu, 1990, 1998; Lamont, 1992, 2005; Portes & Rumbaut, 2001 and Roosens, 1995, 1998).

In this paper, we will look at how monolingual language ideologies, embedded in education, impact classroom interaction and construction of pupil-teacher-relationships. We will discuss pupils’ and teachers’ perceptions on language proficiency, language use and preference – in the Dutch language as well as languages spoken at home. How do pupils perceive their own language proficiency and how is this perceived by their teachers? Is there a match between the pupils’ and teachers’ perceptions on language proficiency and the actual language skills of pupils? Can variation in (mis)match of perceived and actual language proficiency be observed among pupils with different social and ethnic backgrounds? How do perceptions on language proficiency interact with teachers’ and pupils’ discourses and beliefs?

The study to be presented, is part of a larger research project, trying to determine significant factors influencing school careers in secondary education in Flanders (Belgium).

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