Multiple lenses to understand and shape multilingual literacy practices in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Programs of multilingual education in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) are promising because they contribute to the development of young children’s language and literacy as well as their multilingual identities. In practice, many educators are unsure of how to engage children in multilingual literacy activities and policy often falls short of providing adequate guidance. The present paper investigates the case of Luxembourg where a multilingual program has been implemented over the last years. We draw on the continua of biliteracy to examine the range of language and literacy practices of 12 educators who worked with two to four-year-olds in three private, commercial centers differing in regional location, urban or suburban setting, and dominant language spoken. Using the lenses of the biliteracy continua of context, media, content, and development, we analyze examples, explain differing practices, and explore the educators’ varied understandings of languaging, literacy, and learning. We thereby demonstrate that the continua are a heuristic for research, teaching, and policymaking in multilingual environments. We conclude with implications for professional development, policymakers, and researchers.