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Issues in Educational Research, 2024, Vol 34(4), 1488-1505.
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Language autobiographies and multilingual practices applied in primary teacher education: A qualitative study

Marianthi Oikonomakou, Dimitrios Kokkinos
University of the Aegean, Greece

Anthippi Potolia
University of Paris 8, Vincennes Saint-Denis, France

This research focuses on the impact of language autobiographies in promoting multilingualism practices and fostering the cultivation of respect towards linguistic and cultural diversity at educational contexts. It aims at investigating how language autobiographies, as a reflective practice, promote the development of students' critical linguistic awareness regarding stereotypes and language ideologies, and how it can contribute to the professional development of teachers engaged in multicultural classrooms across Europe. In terms of methodology, the study embraces qualitative methodological tools for analysing language autobiographies written by university students in Greece, within the framework of an inter-disciplinary E.U. project. The text analysis and the reflective views expressed by the pre-service teachers throughout the duration of the project suggest that language autobiographies can significantly benefit the school community. The writing process mobilises the linguistic repertoire of the learners and raises teachers' awareness about their students' spoken languages. This opportunity for free expression is particularly important for learners who have refugee and migrant backgrounds or belong to other minority communities, as their languages are often marginalised due to the predominance of the host country national language. Writing language autobiographies could thus become part of both initial teacher education and in-service training programs, as it is consistent with the critical emancipatory education principles and strongly promotes all citizens' equal participation in sociocultural actions.
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Authors: Dr Marianthi Oikonomakou is Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Department of Primary Education, University of the Aegean, Rhodes, Greece. She has published books and articles in international peer-reviewed journals. Her research and publications focus on language teaching, critical literacy, curriculum studies, and teachers' professional development.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1402-5535
Email: oikonomakou@aegean.gr

Dr Dimitris Kokkinos is on the Laboratory Teaching Staff, Department of Primary Education, University of the Aegean, Rhodes, Greece. He has written several articles in esteemed scientific journals, with a particular focus on theoretical, critical, and didactic aspects of literature. Additionally, his research efforts are dedicated to promoting a love for reading within educational environments.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4104-6585
Email: dkokkinos@aegean.gr

Dr Anthippi Potolia is Associate Professor at the University of Paris 8, Vincennes Saint-Denis, France. She is a member of the research team Formal Structures of Language (SFL - CNRS, UMR 7023). She specialises in media discourse analysis, educational technologies, multilingualism and multiculturalism, language autobiographies and reflexivity, inter- and transculturality.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0637-3823
Email: anthippi.potolia@univ-paris8.fr

Please cite as: Oikonomakou, M., Kokkinos, D. & Potolia, A. (2024). Language autobiographies and multilingual practices applied in primary teacher education: A qualitative study. Issues in Educational Research, 34(4), 1488-1505. http://www.iier.org.au/iier34/oikonomakou.pdf


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