In this presentation we are discussing a study of multilingual learners mother tongue (MLMT) teachers' competences for culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (Gay 2018; Ladson-Billings 2014) in Finland. Education on MLMT is organized as a part of Basic Education in Finland, yet both organization of the syllabus is voluntary for municipalities and schools, and participation in the subject is voluntary for students. In the year 2020 some 22 000 students were enrolled for MLMT, and it was offered in 57 different languages (FNAE 2022). The teachers working in this field do not have fixed qualification requirements, therefore it is important to research the competencies needed for the work and the competences the teachers possess. Most teachers working in MLMT tuition are multilinguals themselves, a majority of them migrated to Finland as adults. In the study we are looking for their perceptions of culturally and linguistically pedagogies in order to present both practical and theoretical viewpoints concerning their work today and in the future. The study is based on the data of 20 semi-structured interviews of MLMT teachers, and the data is analyzed in qualitative content analysis to answer following questions: What kind of culturally and linguistically responsive competencies do MLMT teachers have? What kinds of actions help MLMT teachers to implement culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies? Based on this research we are pointing out the need for teacher qualification for MLMT and discussing further about the role of MLMT teachers as part of culturally and linguistically responsive education.
Bibliography
FNAE 2022: Finnish National Board of Education. Languages taught as mother tongue and students enrolled into tuition in year 2020 [Omana äidinkielenä opetetut kielet ja opetukseen osallistuneiden määrät vuonna 2020]. https://www.oph.fi/fi/tilastot/maahanmuuttajien-koulutuksen-tilastot [retrieved in 25.2.2022]
Gay, G. 2018. Culturally responsive teaching: theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Ladson-Billings, G. 2014. Culturally relevant pedagogy 2.0: a.k.a. the remix. Harvard Educational Review: April 2014, 84(1), 74–84. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.84.1.p2rj131485484751
