This book discusses literacy development in heritage language speakers and presents the results of four different quantitative studies that investigate the transfer of literacy skills in bi- and multilingual language development. The empirical studies focus on different populations of pupils, most of them located in various parts of Switzerland, and emphasise the potential residing in shared or transferred resources between their heritage languages and the languages spoken in the region to which their family has immigrated. The goal of all studies was to gain an understanding of the factors, both linguistic and non-linguistic in nature, that contribute to the development of language skills in both the heritage and school languages. Theoretical assumptions are put to the test via hypothesis testing and the generally shared assumptions on bilingual education are questioned based on the data. Furthermore, methodological problems in the investigation of linguistic interdependence are discussed. This book contributes to the scholarly investigation of potential beneficial effects in academic proficiency across languages in migrant children.

This collection of studies investigates the individual, micro-psychological, and macro-societal factors that promote or discourage the development of child and young adult heritage language learners' spoken and written skills in East Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean). The research presented in this book is based on empirical data from various learning and social settings in the United States and Canada. The contributors are themselves mostly from East Asian immigrant backgrounds and have worked closely with students from such backgrounds. This book also speaks to the needs for future research within East Asian communities that will (a) promote East Asian heritage language development in applied linguistics, (b) encourage parental, community, and national support for East Asian heritage language development, and (c) improve the teaching of oral and written skills for heritage learners of East Asian languages in various educational settings.

This book contains case studies relating the experience of bilingual children in various settings in New Zealand primary schools. The contexts include a Maori bilingual school, a Samoan bilingual unit, and mainstream classrooms which cater for immigrant and deaf children. Suggestions for educational policy, teacher development and research are made.

An authoritative overview of research into heritage language acquisition, covering key terminological and empirical issues, theoretical approaches, and research methodologies.

Heritage language bilingualism refers to contexts where a minority language spoken at home is (one of) the first native language(s) of an individual who grows up and typically becomes dominant in the societal majority language. Heritage language bilinguals often wind up with grammatical systems that differ in interesting ways from dominant-native speakers growing up where their heritage language is the majority one. Understanding the trajectories and outcomes of heritage language bilingual grammatical competence, performance, language usage patterns, identities and more related topics sits at the core of many research programs across a wide array of theoretical paradigms. The study of heritage language bilingualism has grown exponentially over the past two decades. This expansion in interest has seen, in parallel, extensions in methodologies applied, bridges built between closely related fields such as the study of language contact and linguistic attrition. As is typical in linguistics, not all languages are studied to the same degree. The present volume showcases what Turkish as a heritage language brings to bear for key questions in the study of heritage language bilingualism and beyond. In many ways, Turkish is an ideal language to be studied because of its large diaspora across the world, in particular Europe. The papers in this volume are diverse: from psycholinguistic, to ethnographic, to classroom-based studies featuring Turkish as a heritage language. Together they equal more than their subparts, leading to the conclusion that understudied heritage languages like Turkish provide missing pieces to the puzzle of understanding the variables that give rise to the continuum of outcomes characteristic of heritage language speakers.

This is the first international and interdisciplinary handbook to offer a comprehensive and an in-depth overview of findings from contemporary research, theory, and practice in early childhood language education in various parts of the world and with different populations. The contributions by leading scholars and practitioners are structured to give a survey of the topic, highlight its importance, and provide a critical stance. The book covers preschool ages, and looks at children belonging to diverse ethno-linguistic groups and experiencing different histories and pathways of their socio-linguistic and socio-cultural development and early education. The languages under the scope of this handbook are identified by the contributors as immigrant languages, indigenous, endangered, heritage, regional, minority, majority, and marginalized, as well as foreign and second languages, all of which are discussed in relation to early language education as the key concept of the handbook. In this volume, “early language education” will refer to any kind of setting, both formal and informal (e.g. nursery, kindergarten, early childhood education centers, complementary early schooling etc.) in which language learning within a context of children's sociolinguistic diversity takes place before elementary school.

This novel contribution examines the lived experiences of migrants in education in various international contexts, exploring common school system features that promote students’ inclusion and challenge their exclusion. With a range of international contributions and case studies from Canada, the US, Hong Kong, Japan and Europe, the book offers critical, theoretically innovative understandings examining national policies and practices to develop reforms, focusing on agency, heterogeneity and systems of relational spaces for migrant youth. Chapters engage with discussions around differentiated needs of marginalised and vulnerable groups, as well as the importance of superdiversity in studying and developing inclusive systems for migrant youth in education. Offering unique insights, the book outlines a framework for the promotion of inclusive school systems that ultimately look to create quality learning environments that prevent discrimination, and support students’ holistic needs. It will be of great interest to researchers, academics and postgraduate students in the fields of sociology of education, philosophy of education, psychology of education, teacher education and social policy.

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This collection critically reflects on the state-of-the-art research on Korean-as-a-heritage-language (KHL) teaching and learning, centering KHL as an object of empirical inquiry by offering multiple perspectives on its practices and directions for further research. The volume expands prevailing notions of transnationalism and translanguaging by providing insights into the ways contemporary Korean immigrant and transnational families and individuals maintain their heritage language to participate in literary practices across borders. Experts from across the globe explore heritage language and literacy practices in Korean immigrant communities in varied geographic and educational contexts. In showcasing a myriad of perspectives across KHL research, the collection addresses such key questions as how heritage language learners’ literacy practices impact their identities, how their families support KHL development at home, and what challenges and opportunities stakeholders need to consider in KHL education and in turn, heritage language education, more broadly. This book will be of interest to families, teachers, scholars, and language program administrators in Korean language education, heritage language education, applied linguistics, and bilingual education.