ERIC Number: EJ1396536
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957-5146
EISSN: EISSN-1472-4421
Supporting Childcare Professionals in Approaching Multilingualism: Insights from a Collaborative Process for Professional Development
Peleman, Brecht; Hulpia, Hester; Bergeron-Morin, Lisandre
Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development, v43 n3 p669-682 2023
Although childcare professionals play a crucial role in creating stimulating environments for multilingual infants and toddlers and in establishing partnerships with multilingual parents, they often feel uncertain and inexperienced about it. This is especially true in multilingual contexts where three or more home languages in a single family are not uncommon, as is the case in Flanders (Belgium). To foster reflection among childcare professionals on early multilingualism, expand their knowledge base and support their practices towards multilingual children and families, a co-constructive process was set up with 29 tutors. These tutors joined forces to develop and test a toolkit to support continuous professional development trajectories of childcare professionals working with multilingual infants, toddlers and their parents. The present article draws on the experiences of the tutors in each phase of the collaborative design process of the toolkit, documented through meeting reports, field notes and semi-structured interviews. Findings are discussed based on five themes that emerged from the data analysis: breaking the silence about multilingualism, offering an array of possibilities for professional development, expanding the knowledge base of childcare professionals, valorizing the role of the tutor, and highlighting the role of innovative and collaborative projects.
Descriptors: Multilingualism, Faculty Development, Second Language Learning, Native Language, Foreign Countries, Child Care, Child Caregivers, Infants, Toddlers, Tutors, Guides, Professional Development, Caregiver Child Relationship, Cooperation, Parent Participation, Meetings, Knowledge Level
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A