ABSTRACT

This study was conducted within the context of bilingual Arabic-Hebrew medium preschools in Israel which were established to incorporate instruction in the native languages of both majority and minority children in the classroom. Bilingual education in various settings produces a wide variety of outcomes in terms of language proficiency, cultural awareness, and scholastic achievement. The purpose of the present study was to examine teacher agency in changing the language model of the preschool that aimed at enhancing willingness to use L2 (Arabic) among the Hebrew-speaking 4–6-year-old children. Two research questions guided this study: 1) How did teachers implement their agency in the process of language model modification; and 2) Is there a correspondence between teachers’ perception of their role in the process and the observed language practices in the preschool? To answer these questions, we used multiple sources of qualitative data, such as observations and interviews. The findings indicate that teachers saw themselves as agents of linguistic change and were adamant about providing the class with maximum exposure to Arabic during the designated period of the project. Secondly, teachers made use of several strategies aimed at enhancing Arabic L2 output amongst Hebrew-speaking children who were previously reluctant to use the language. Finally, there is a clear correspondence between teachers’ and researchers’ perception of the former’s agency in the modification of the language model. The findings are discussed from the perspective of strategic and critical pedagogies.

摘要

这项研究是在以色列的双语阿拉伯语-希伯来语中等学龄前儿童的背景下进行的，该幼儿园的建立目的是将课堂上大多数和少数族裔儿童的母语都纳入教学。在各种语言环境下的双语教育在语言能力，文化意识和学业成就方面产生各种各样的结果。本研究的目的是检验教师机构在改变学龄前儿童语言模型中的作用，该模型旨在增强讲希伯来语的4-6岁儿童使用L2（阿拉伯语）的意愿。这项研究指导了两个研究问题：1）教师在语言模型修改过程中如何实现他们的代理；2）教师对自己在过程中的作用的认知与学前班所观察到的语言习惯之间是否存在对应关系？为了回答这些问题，我们使用了多种定性数据来源，例如观察和访谈。调查结果表明，教师将自己视为语言变化的推动者，并坚持在项目的指定时期为全班提供最大程度的阿拉伯语接触。其次，教师利用了一些策略，旨在提高以前不愿使用该语言的希伯来语儿童的阿拉伯语L2输出。最后，在语言模型的修改中，教师和研究人员对前者代理的理解之间存在明显的对应关系。