Influences on teachers’ attitudes towards languages of learning and teaching: the Estonian experience

ABSTRACT

Despite Estonia being ranked among the highest performing nations in the world-wide testing of students, these encouraging results are somewhat overshadowed by the challenge to overcome the divided school system with different languages of learning that impacts crucially on students’ social, academic and professional paths. The study examines teachers’ (N = 312) attitudes to languages of learning and teaching through various components from a sociolinguistic perspective. The findings, gathered from a correlation and hierarchical clustering analysis, point to a strong connection between the affective (situational variable), conative (operational variable) and cognitive (situational variable) component of an attitude. The results indicate how attitude direction varies in four sub-groups of the sample when interpreted through the element of the cognitive component. The exploration of the latter underlines the necessity to consider the complexity in teachers’ attitudes, as almost two-thirds of the participants share a monoglossic vision of learning and teaching languages, giving preference to either Russian or Estonian. Further research is needed to investigate how to enhance a positive attitude towards both languages of learning and teaching.

KEYWORDS:

• Bilingual education
• language policy
• attitudes
• language of learning and teaching

Data availability statement

We hereby confirm that the findings of the study related to the manuscript entitled ‘Influences on teachers’ attitudes towards languages of learning and teaching: the Estonian experience’ is available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to the restrictions as they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants (e-mail addresses, phone numbers, reference to the place where education was acquired).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Tallinn university School of Humanities, research fund: [Grant Number Research funding was provided for proofreading.].

Notes on contributors

Kateryn Rannu

Kateryn Rannu is a junior lecturer of French Language and Culture Didactics at the School of Humanities at Tallinn University. Her main research interests lie in the area of Foreign language and Teacher Education. In her current work, she focuses on the processes that have influenced the transition to bilingual education in Estonia.

Aleksandra Ljalikova

Aleksandra Ljalikova is an associate professor of French Language and Didactics at Tallinn University. Her main research interests lie in the area of Foreign Language and Teacher Education. Current interests focus on Multilingual and Multicultural Education such as Content and Language Integrated Learning, Academic writing in Foreign Language and Technology enhanced Language Learning.

Katrin Poom-Valickis

Katrin Poom-Valickis is a professor of Teacher Education at the School of Educational Sciences at Tallinn University. The main research interest is primarily focused on the teacher's professional development, more precisely how to support future teachers' learning and development during their studies and first years of work. She has been a project leader and co-coordinator in several projects related to the development of Teacher Education and member of the expert group who prepared the implementation of the induction year for novice teachers in Estonia.