ERIC Number: EJ1469750
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-8458
EISSN: EISSN-1532-7701
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Diverse Language Policies and Practices of Immigrant Families in Iceland: Opportunities and Challenges
Hanna Ragnarsdóttir1
Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, v24 n3 p554-567 2025
Iceland has seen rapidly changing demographics in recent years as a result of growing immigration to the country. This is reflected in the education system where children speak altogether around 100 languages. This qualitative research aims at exploring the language policies and practices of diverse immigrant families and their cooperation with their children's preschools. The theoretical framework includes family language policy and linguistically appropriate educational practices. Data was collected in the spring and autumn of 2020 and included semi-structured interviews with parents in six families, principals and teachers in their children's two preschools. The findings indicate that the parents have diverse language policies and different opinions on the importance of their heritage languages, Icelandic and English. While the preschools in the study emphasize linguistically appropriate approaches, these are not well developed. Other challenges include the lack of dialogue between the preschools and the families to support the children's multilingualism.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Language Usage, Principals, Preschool Teachers, Parent Attitudes, Native Language, Indo European Languages, Beliefs, Multilingualism, Parent School Relationship, Preschool Education, Bilingual Education, Immigrants, English (Second Language), Native Language Instruction, Teacher Attitudes, Administrator Attitudes
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: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iceland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Iceland