Linguistic diversity and pedagogical practices in early childhood and primary education : a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

This article presents a systematic review of recent literature on classroom pedagogy adopted in early and primary education to address linguistic diversity in early childhood and primary education. The study aims to answer the research question: ‘What does the literature say about current pedagogical practices and trends in addressing multilingualism in early and primary education?’ The review synthesizes evidence from a period of five years (2019–2024), utilising keywords such as “multilingualism,” “classroom pedagogy,” and “early and primary education.” From an initial screening of 806 studies, a total of 46 studies focusing on pedagogical practices in early childhood and primary education were included in this review. Findings highlight a shift towards multilingual pedagogies that recognise and build on learners’ linguistic and cultural strengths, particularly through translanguaging, multilingual and multimodal scaffolding, culturally responsive teaching, and practices that promote student agency, identity, and well-being. Emerging trends emphasise flexible use of learners’ full linguistic repertoires, digital and multimodal learning, and more formative and inclusive approaches to assessment, while highlighting the need for sustained teacher professional development and systemic changes to curriculum, assessment, and language policy to move beyond persistent monolingual norms. These findings have practical and policy implications, highlighting the need to strengthen teacher professional learning and develop curriculum, assessment, and language policies that embed multilingualism as a resource for learning. This synthesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how educational systems can adapt to and embrace linguistic diversity, ultimately improving educational outcomes for early and primary school-aged learners.