ERIC Number: EJ1458785
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1326-0111
EISSN: EISSN-2049-7784
Available Date: N/A
Language Teacher Identity and Language Acquisition in a South Saami Preschool: A Narrative Inquiry
David Kroik
Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v51 n2 2022
This paper explores language teacher identity (LTI) among three preschool teachers. The focus lies on the preschool teachers' identities as linguistic role models by means of analysing their own descriptions of language learning, that is, their personal experiences of and reflections on language acquisition. Three interviews were made with different in-service preschool teachers. The interviews were analysed by means of narrative inquiry and thematic analysis and guided by literature on LTI, as well as the researcher's previous experience and knowledge of the current field. The findings illustrate how the teachers assumed a leading position in the South Saami language revitalisation project and cope with the responsibility tied to that position. The discussion of the narratives revolves around language teaching and learning made salient in the narrative process. The study provides a hopeful view of language revitalisation by showcasing that it is not only the expected first-language native speakers that are driving forces in the process of restoring a broken chain of intergenerational language transmission. It further illustrates a way for an Indigenous academic to investigate settings within their own community and collaborate with other stakeholders in a language revitalisation project to generate new insights on language revitalisation.
Descriptors: Preschool Teachers, Language Teachers, Role Models, Self Concept, Language Maintenance, Finno Ugric Languages, Foreign Countries, Indigenous Populations, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Background, Cultural Influences, Responsibility, Language Usage, Faculty Development
University of Queensland. Level 2, Building 4, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia. e-mail: ajie@uq.edu.au; Web site: https://ajie.atsis.uq.edu.au/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A