Linguistically Sensitive Teaching in a Multilingual Context: Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers of the Basque Autonomous Community

Abstract

Summary Multilingual environments and migration have led to an increasing number of multilingual students, and consequently, to a need to take the varying linguistic repertoire of students into account in education. The aim of the present study is to explore Linguistically Sensitive Teaching (LST) as a possible linguistically inclusive approach and to examine how LST is perceived by pre-service primary teachers in the multilingual context of the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC), where the majority language, Spanish; the minority language, Basque; and the foreign language, English are included in the curriculum, all while some students might have other additional home languages that are not part of the curriculum. The methodological approach is a qualitative research study, in which data have been collected among a group of pre-service primary teachers from the BAC through written reflections, focus groups and observations. The results show the perceptions of the pre-service teachers on education policies in relation to linguistically sensitive teaching practices, good practices identified during their school placements, possibilities to promote Linguistically Sensitive Teaching in the classroom, the role of the minority language Basque in LST, and the threats, challenges and opportunities perceived in LST. It is concluded that despite some basic notions of LST, the lack of in-depth knowledge of pre-service teachers is visible, advocating for the need to include formation on LST in Initial Teacher Training.