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The Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and
Language Learning
Research and Activities
Cor van der Meer & Alex Riemersma
Mercator Research Centre / Fryske Akademy
Bangor, 15 March / Ljouwert, 17 March 2010
Overview
• Fryslân
• Language & education
• Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning
• Research Projects
• Language vitality
Early
Middle ages
Late
Middle ages
Today
Fryslân in history
Well-known outside Fryslân
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2000
Fries Nederlands
Frisian as First Language
Frisian Language Command
• 54 % Mother tongue
• 94 % Understanding
• 74 % Speaking
• 65 % Reading
• 26 % Writing
Trilingual education in Fryslân (1)
• Model used:
- Group 1-6: 50 % Frisian, 50 % Dutch
- Group 7-8: 40 % Frisian, 40 % Dutch, 20% English
• Systematic use of Frisian, Dutch and English as a medium of instruction.
• Interactive language education
Trilingual education in Fryslân (2)
• Results:
- Good quality of Frisian
- Results of Dutch at the same level at the end of grade 8 as all other pupils in the Netherlands
- Results for English slightly better, but not significantly
- Self consciousness in English better, but not significantly
Trilingual education in Fryslân (3)
• Prospects:
- 2012: 50 primary schools (= 10%)Development Early English
- 2011/2012: Trilingual secondary educationLiudger – Burgum / Bogerman - Wommels
- 2011: Start trilingual teacher training
Mercator Research Centre
1987-2006:
• Documentation and Information Centre.
• Funded by the European Union.
2007-2008: transition into:
• Information and Research Centre.
• Funded by the Province of Fryslân and the municipality of Ljouwert/Leeuwarden.
Fryske Akademy
Mercator Research CentreObjectives
• Scientific research
• Information centre
• Platform function
• Goals: creation, dissemination and application of knowledge
• Education: Master on Multilingualism
Mercator’s activities
• Research
• Publications & databases
• Network of Schools
• Network of Teacher Trainings Institutes
• Conferences & seminars
• Q&A service
• Research reports
• Articles
• Newsletters
• Regional dossiers series
- 40 language descriptions
- Update every 5-7 years
- Online available
Publications
Structured content
• 1 Introduction• 2 Pre-school education• 3 Primary education• 4 Secondary education• 5 Vocational education• 6 Higher education• 7 Adult education• 8 Educational research• 9 Prospects• 10 Summary of statistics• Education System in ….• References and further reading• Useful addresses
Publications
• Development of Minimum Standards for language education
• Use of the CEFR and ELP in education
• Comparative studies
• Study on the devolvement of legislative power to regional authorities
• Trilingual Education in Europe (due 2010)
www.networkofschools.eu
Network of Schools
• > 90 members
• > 30 language communities
• 15 EU member states
• News bulletins
• Website:
- teaching materials
- projects
• Mercator Research Centre - “lead partner” 4 Partner institutes:
• Aberystwyth – University of Wales• Barcelona – Ciemen• Budapest – Hungarian Academy of Sciences• Eskilstuna (Sweden) – Mälardalen University
• 18-20 May: Mercator Network conference: “Media Convergence and Linguistic Diversity: How can the creative industries contribute to language vitality in a multiplatform environment?”, Aberystwyth
• 3-4 June: “Added Value of Multilingualism and Multilingual Education”, Ljouwert, organised in cooperation with the Basque Ministry of Education.
• 18-19 November: conference of European Universities Network on Multilingualism (EUNoM), Ljouwert.
Conferences in 2010
Fields of research
• Added value of multilingualism and multilingual education
• Informal learning and promotion of reading in families & households
• Effectiveness of educational policy in Fryslân (‘Boppeslach’)
• Language acquisition
Added Value of Multilingualism and multilingual education
A comparative study of the Basque
Autonomous Community and Fryslân
University of the Basque Country / Ikerbasque, Donostia
Mercator Research Centre / Fryske Akademy, Ljouwert
Aims:• Analyse bilingualism and multilingualism as a
resource for the individual and societý • Analyse bilingualism and multilingualism as a
resource at school
(Planned) steps: 1) in-depth comparison of the Basque Country and
Fryslân2) Try to apply a model of use and non-use values.3) Investigate interaction between different languages
in the curriculum and language learning strategies.
Objectives
2008-2010 (1)
Data collection secondary school pupils (3rd/4th year):
• Reports on school-visits• Questionnaires• Written essays in three languages• Classroom observations• Interviews with teachers • Photographs of the linguistic landscape in the schools
2008-2010 (2)
Step 1: monograph: ‘Languages and language education in Fryslân’ + comparative report on ‘Frisian and Basque multilingual education: A comparison of the province of Fryslân and the Basque Autonomous Community’
Step 2: short report about advantages / disadvantages of multilingualism
Step 3: (in progress) report with outcomes of questionnaires, cross linguistic influences in written essays, classroom observations and linguistic landscape
2010-2011
Verify hypothesis with focus on English (dual approach):
1) Qualitative part: ´Ethnography of language in education´ by means of classroom observations, focus group discussions with students, in-depth interviews with English teachers and directors, out-of-school use and experience with English, (digital) literacy practices
2) Quantitative part: testing and language use questionnaires. Dependent variables related to competence in and use of English
Informal learning and promotion of reading in families & households
More languages, more opportunities
A Papiamentu – Dutch language development project
Nienke Boomstra
PhD study of Nienke Boomstra
Implementation
• Training language coaches
• Recruitment of participants by language coaches- target group: Antillean children between 20 and 30 months at the start of the project, and their primary caretakers (mostly mothers)
• Duration of two years- Every two weeks home visits, every two weeks group gatherings
Tomke in ‘More languages, more opportunities’
• In co-operation with Afûk
- 12 books (in Papiamentu and Dutch)
- Web page
- Finger puppets, games
Language coaches teach
parents how to use the
materials during home visits.
Research questions
• Will the infliction of this project promote the bilingual development in Papiamentu and Dutch?
• Will it promote a better socio-emotional development in Antillean toddlers?
• Will it promote a more positive interaction between mother and child?
Effectiveness of Language Policy
Study in 2004:
– Pupils behind in maths and language
– Didactic skills
– Care for pupils
– Amount of time available
– Frisian no factor
Project co-ordinator Dr. E. Klinkenberg, Department of Social Sciences
Policy of Provincial Government
– Improvement quality education
– Language and quality schools
– Yearly tests
– Monitoring by the Fryske Akademy
Research ‘Boppeslach’
• Aspects:– Longitudinal (yearly test moments)– Multiple levels
• Pupils (test results)
• Class (teacher information)
• School (school leader information)– 86 participating schools
Communicative skills
• Results Trilingual school:– Dutch: same results– Frisian: better– English: better results (ability and confidence to hold a
short story) Influence of a bilingual school system on speaking
ability• Link with personality (confidence)• Expectation:
– Students at a Trilingual school speak more in English and with more confidence
PhD. study of M. Jansma MSc, Department of Social Sciences
Bilingual language development of the young Frisian child
• Language dominance – language input
• Cross-linguistic interference
PhD-study of Jelske Dijkstra, Department of Social Sciences
Research
• 70-100 toddlers (2,5-4 yrs)• 22 preschools in Friesland, of which 50%
Frisian-medium or bilingual preschools• Home language: only Frisian or only Dutch
(parents to child)• Language outside home/family situation:
mainly Frisian, bilingual, mainly Dutch (questionnaires)
Research
• Language development Dutch & Frisian– Vocabulary: passive & active– Samples of spontaneous speech– One person – one language
• 3 measuring periods – each period Dutch and Frisian (6 measurements)– 2,5 - 3 yrs– 3 - 3,5 yrs– 3,5 - 4 yrs
UNESCO (2003) on Language Vitality
• The six major factors identified: 1) Intergenerational Language Transmission; 2) Absolute Number of Speakers; 3) Proportion of Speakers within the Total Population; 4) Trends in Existing Language Domains; 5) Response to New Domains and Media; and 6) Materials for Language Education and Literacy.
Ranking of endangerness
• Unesco Atlas of Worlds Languages (2009):• 6: Safe• 5: Safe, but yet threatened• 4: Unsafe• 3: Definitively endangered• 2: Severly endangered• 1: Critically endangered• 0: Extinct
Language Planning
• Council of Europe Documents:
• European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ETS 148; 1998)
• Framework Convention on the Protection of national Minorities (ETS 157; 1998)
Charter for language planning
• Charter key words:“to protect & to promote” /“to safeguard & to encourage”
• Language planning key words:
State: Citizen:
Capacity Command
Opportunities Use
Desire / Plan Will
Common European Standards for RMLs in education
• Committee of Experts to the Charter:
• Teaching time
• Continuity of teaching & learning
• Qualified teachers
• Teaching materials
• Valuable tests on language command
www.mercator-research.euwww.mercator-research.eumercator@fryske-akademy.nl
Köszönöm
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