Conference Agenda

This presentation is based on an ethnographic study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation that explores how multilingualism is addressed in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Drawing on participant observation (Breidenstein et al., 2013) in different daycare centers, the study investigates everyday interactions, routines, and institutional practices to understand how children with different linguistic backgrounds are engaged with by professionals. Theoretical concepts from sociology and sociolinguistics (Bourdieu, 1991; Heller, 2007) suggest that different languages are endowed with varying degrees of prestige and that, accordingly, their speakers receive different levels of recognition in educational institutions, which can have an impact on their future educational careers and social (in)equality.

The empirical material provides rich insights into how linguistic diversity is interpreted and handled in practice. The study explores children’s, parents’ and teachers' everyday practices by participant observations as well as their perspectives by interviews and group discussions. Variations in language-related practices may reflect broader institutional cultures and professional orientations toward multilingualism. By focusing on situated practices and interactions, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how language is embedded and dealt with in early childhood institutions.

References:

Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and Symbolic Power. HUP.

Breidenstein, G., Hirschauer, S., Kalthoff, H., & Nieswand, B. (2013). Ethnografie: Die Praxis der Feldforschung (1. Aufl). UVK UTB.

Heller, M. (2007). Bilingualism as Ideology and Practice. In M. Heller (Ed.), Bilingualism. A Social Approach (pp. 1–22). Palgrave MacMillan.

Many research findings emphasize the effectiveness of high quality early childhood education for future academic outcomes (Anders, 2013). However, transitioning into daycare can be challenging without a common language for day-to-day communication.

This research seeks to understand the transition into center-based childcare for children and their parents who do not speak the local language. Furthermore, the research aims at identifying practices of early childhood educators which support the process. Researchers observed the transition processes of four children in ethnographic case studies. The length of the transition processes varied greatly: between 7 and 18 visits per child and family were observed, with the research team present for a total of 39 visits to the centers. In addition, semi-structured interviews with three childcare center heads were conducted.

The results reveal both, general and specific challenges for the transition of children with little knowledge of the local language transitioning into daycare centers were identified. Specifically, linguistic practices such as translanguaging (García & Wei, 2014), the involvement of interpreters, and multilingual information can improve the process.

Some aspects are important for all children, also for families speaking the local language: a transition period tailored to individual needs (Siegrist & Widmer, 2018), a key educators’ focus and responsiveness on building a relationship with the child, and targeted and structured communication to support families in the transition process. Further steps toward a migration-sensitive transition process are indicated for research and practice.

References:

Anders, Y. (2013). Stichwort: Auswirkungen frühkindlicher institutioneller Betreuung und Bil-dung. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 16(2), 237-275.

García, O. & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. Pal-grave Macmillan.

Siegrist, S. & Widmer, F. (2018). Das „Stadtzürcher Transitionsmodell“: ein modulares Modell für die Gestaltung des Übergangs von der Familie in Institutionen der Frühpädagogik. In K. Fasseing Heim, R. Lehner, T. Dütsch, U. Arnaldo, E. Hildebrandt, M. Wer Huber, & B. Zum-steg (Hrsg.), Übergänge in der frühen Kindheit (S. 237–258). Waxmann Verlag.

In 2024, the canton of Thurgau introduced the “Selektive Obligatorium der vorschulischen Sprachförderung” (SOVS). This policy measure provides for compulsory German language learning for children who, at the age of three, are identified as still having insufficient knowledge of the local language of instruction in school. Every municipality implemented the policy measure in coordination with existing early childhood institutions (daycare centres, playgroups, childminders). While attendance of these institutions is voluntary for children without language support, but subject to a fee, the authorities cover the costs of compulsory attendance.

Our ongoing study, funded by the Lotteriefonds, examines the introduction of the SOVS with a focus on social differentiation in the context of this restructuring of the field of early childhood care and education. Using a wide array of qualitative research methods (ethnography, focus groups, interviews, document analysis) in the methodological spirit of ‘studying through’ policies (Wright and Reinhold 2011; Shore, Wright, and Però 2011), we ask: How is the SOVS organised, implemented and perceived at the municipal level? And what does this mean for the field of early childhood education and care and the handling of linguistic diversity in the context of educational spaces shaped by migration? (Blommaert 2015).

In the symposium, we present initial findings with a focus on how language and multilingualism are used as a cipher for a seemingly neutral social order in early childhood, as well as how the organisation of multilingualism contributes to social differentiation.

References:

Blommaert, J. (2015). Language: The great diversifier. In S. Vertovec (Ed.), Routledge international handbook of diversity studies (pp. 83–90). Routledge.

Shore, C., Wright, S., & Però, D. (Eds.). (2011). Policy worlds: Anthropology and the analysis of contemporary power. Berghahn Books.

Wright, S., & Reinhold, S. (2011). ‘Studying Through’: A Strategy for Studying Political Transformation. Or Sex, Lies and British Politics. In C. Shore, S. Wright, & D. Però (Eds.), Policy worlds: Anthropology and the analysis of contemporary power (Vol. 14, pp. 86–104). Berghahn Books.