«Man blir lite osäker på om man gör rätt» – En studie om pedagogers arbete med flerspråkighet i förskolan

Abstract

Abstract: This article presents and discusses what is being expressed and focused on when preschool educators talk about their work relating to children’s mother tongue. Data is collected through three work team conversations and one focus group discussion in which all work teams participated. In total the participants consist of two childcare workers and six preschool teachers. The study departs from the theoretical point of view reasoning that multilingualism is to be regarded as a competence and an asset, in which educators in preschool play a significant role in children’s opportunities to develop their multilingualism. Theoretically and methodologically the study is based on a rhetorical approach and uses Billigs concept Ideological dilemmas as an analytical tool. In the analysis, four themes of content emerged, where both strategies in conducting the work with children’s multilingualism along with dilemmas and uncertainties regarding these, were in focus. The results show large complexity in the educators´ work situation. They need to face several challenges concerning language as well as other issues related to equality, politics and cultural expressions.

Keywords: Focus group, ideological dilemmas, mother tongue, multilingualism, preschool