Mother tongue plus two languages: are Scottish Primary Teachers confident to deliver?

Valdera Gil, F. and Crichton, H. (2020) Mother tongue plus two languages: are Scottish Primary Teachers confident to deliver? Language Learning Journal, 48(4), pp. 454-468. (doi: 10.1080/09571736.2018.1448430)

Abstract

Recent policy reforms in Scotland mean that all primary teachers are expected to teach a foreign language (FL) to children from age 5, introducing a second language around age 9. This small-scale research study aimed to ascertain 38 primary teachers’ perceptions of their confidence to teach an FL to primary learners and what they felt would be helpful in developing their language proficiency and language teaching pedagogy. The teachers, while enthusiastic about the thinking behind the policy, expressed concern about their ability to provide a good model of language to their classes and their own development as learners of a language while simultaneously having to teach it. FL assistants, secondary colleagues and FL development officers were seen as valuable sources of support, but questions were raised about the sustainability of the policy without long-term permanent commitment.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Crichton, Dr Hazel and Valdera-Gil, Dr Francisco
• Authors: Valdera Gil, F., and Crichton, H.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy Policy and Practice; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith
• Journal Name: Language Learning Journal
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 0957-1736
• ISSN (Online): 1753-2167
• Published Online: 22 March 2018
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 Association for Language Learning
• First Published: First published in Language Learning Journal 48(4): 454-468
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher