Perspectives on Multiple Language Acquisition in Immersion

1. Perspectives on Multiple Language Acquisition in Immersion Siv Björklund & Karita Mård-Miettinen, University of Vaasa, Finland

2. Swedish Immersion: Characteristics • Immersion programmes are developed for majority speakers (Finnish-speakers) with no natural extensive experience of the other official language in Finland, Swedish, and its culture. • The immersion language (Swedish) is introduced early (at the age of 3-6) • Subject teaching (e.g. biology) • in the immersion language is used to enhance students’ Swedish language competence along with subject mastery • in the mother tongue to foster the students’ Finnish (mother tongue) language development along with subject mastery • Teachers act as one language models. • From an immersion student’s point of view the school day is structured into components which separate languages even if they use their languages daily.

3. Multiple languages in Swedish immersion in Finland • In Finland immersion is mainly developed for Swedish as L2, but teaching of other languages is integrated in Swedish immersion programmes as well.

4. Swedish immersion program in Finnish educational context

5. Research on language acquisition beyond L2 A growing interest in different dimensions of individual and societal multilingualism • Sociolinguistically oriented reports (multilingual communities) • Reports on polyglots (case studies/biographs/anecdotes) • Multilingual education (programme design, results of language learning and teaching) • Theoretical constructions of multilingual mental processes (roles of different languages in language production; Hammarberg & Williams, factors involved in multiple language processing; The M-factor, Jessner & Herdina: DST, de Bot)

6. Results from matriculation exams (English, L3 & German, L4)

7. The data Questionnaire • completed by 97 students in grades 4-6 with multiple-oriented language program Case study • 10 students in grades 4-5 (10-12 years of age); 4 girls and 6 boys; • Finnish as mother tongue, Swedish as immersion language, English from grade 2 or 3, German/French from grade 4 • Structured interviews

8. The questionnaire data *MT = first language/mother tongue ImL = immersion language FL = foreign language

9. To study and to know languages(n = 95) • All students study 3 languages (ImL + 2 foreign languages) at school besides mother tongue • All but 3 students (1 fem. + 2 males) know all the languages they study at school

10. Knows more languages than studies at school (n = 17) • Spanish (8 students) • German (4 students) • Russian (3 students) • Japanese (3 students) • Estonian (2 students) • French (1 student) • English (1 student) • Italian (1 student) • Danish (1 student) • Thai (1 student)

11. Perception of language learning(n = 97)

12. The foreign language I am strongest in is … (n = 93)

13. I think in …(n = 97)

14. In my dreams people speak…(n = 93)

15. Monolingual, bilingual and multilingual thinking when doing activities(n = 97/96)

16. Monolingual, bilingual and multilingual thinking when doing activities (n = 62) In what language(s) do you think when doing German activities?

17. Case study • 10 students in grades 4-5 (10-12 years of age); 4 girls and 6 boys

18. Language use In what contexts have you used….. frequentSwedish English German use in school in school in the yard with friends (3) with friends hobbies (8) Internet, TV(1) TV (1) In town with relatives on vacation/ in Sweden on vacation/ abroad on vacation (7) abroad with Mum (3) Sweden (8) no needno need (1) no need (7)

19. Student comments on the use of English • ”On the Internet some sites may be in English only” • ”In Europe it is rather difficult to travel if one does not know English” • ”It would be useful to know at least English. And Swedish, because Finland is still a bilingual nation” • ”English is a common language”

20. Languages spoken in foreign language lessons Finnish Foreign language

21. Cross-linguistic influence Swedish -> German/French • Swedish helps (9/10 students) • Makes learning easier: e.g. know how to learn languages • Similar vocabulary (5 students) • Swedish doesn’t help (1/10 students) • Sometimes mix words (1/10 students)

22. Use of Swedish + other languages to help learning of foreign languages With vocabulary learning • Yes (sometimes) (9/10) • For example when studying the names of the months they are easy to remember through Swedish (Vaikka jos opettelen kuukaudet niin muistaa hyvin ruotsista)

23. To understand the teacher • No (5) • Not really. The teacher speak so fast that you don’t have the time to look for help. (En sillai. Opettaja sanoo niin nopeasti, ettei ehdi miettiä apua.) • Yes (3), e.g. with new words • Don’t notice (2) • You don’t really notice it, but when you listen you understand. It just turns on in your head somehow. (Ei sitä oikein huomaa, mutta kun kuuntelee niin siitä ymmärtää. Se vain jotenkin kytkeytyy päähän.)

24. Concluding results • All Swedish immersion students study MT, ImL and at least 1 FL in grades 4-6 • 53 % Swedish immersion students study MT, ImL and 2 FL in grades 4-6 • Immersion students indicate that they know all the languages they study at school • Immersion students use the foreign language they study in the classroom (but rarely outside the classroom)

25. All Swedish immersion students study MT, ImL and at least 1 FL in grades 4-6 • 53 % Swedish immersion students study MT, ImL and 2 FL in grades 4-6 • Immersion students indicate that they know all the languages they study at school • English perceived as equally important language than Swedish by grade 6 • Immersion students use the foreign language they study in the classroom (but rarely outside the classroom) • Swedish is regarded as helpful in foreign language learning both by immersion students and foreign language teachers • Especially in vocabulary learning

26. Literature on multiple languages in Swedish immersion • Björklund, S. (2002). Case study: A trilingual school in Vaasa, Finland. I: D. Beetsma (ed.), Trilingual Primary Education in Europe. Inventory of the provisions for trilingual primary education in minority language communities of the European Union, 18-39. Mercator-Education. Holland. • Björklund, S. (2005). Toward trilingual education in Vaasa/Vasa, Finland. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 23-40. • Björklund, S. & K. Mård-Miettinen (2011). Integration of multiple languages in immersion: Swedish immersion in Finland. I: D. J. Tedick, D. Christian & T. Williams Fortune (eds.), Immersion Education: Practices, Policies, Possibilities, 13-35. Multilingual Matters. • Björklund, S., K. Mård-Miettinen & T. Mäenpää (2012). Functional multilingual competence. Exploring the pedagogical potential within immersion. In: M. Bendtsen, M. Björklund, L. Forsman & K. Sjöholm (eds), Global trends meet local needs, 203-217. Åbo Akademi University. • Björklund, S. & I. Suni (2000). The role of English as L3 in a Swedish immersion program in Finland. Impacts on language teaching and language relations. I: J. Cenoz & U. Jessner (eds), English in Europe. The acquisition of a third language, 198-221. Multilingual Matters. Clevedon. • Laurén, C. (1999). Mehrsprachiger Unterricht am Beispiel Finnland. I: W. Stuflesser (Hg.), Mehrsprachigkeit und Schule. Plurilingualism and School, 99-112. Bozen/Bolzano.

27. Tack! Kiitos! Thank you! Tänan!