Pedagogy and interaction : a comparative study of two mainstream multilingual classrooms in Malta and Luxembourg

Abstract

The aim of this comparative study is to explore the different pedagogic strategies adopted by teachers when interacting with learners in mainstream, multilingual classrooms, composed of both national and non-national plurilingual learners. These strategies are discussed against a back-drop of learning theories, with a special focus on Vygotskian sociocultural theory. This study also takes into consideration how the inbuilt school support systems impact on two upper primary classrooms, located in Malta and Luxembourg, two European countries with longstanding bi/trilingual models of education. This research project adopts an interpretivist, phenemonological approach, using case studies carried out ethnographically, in order to generate rich descriptions of language use, pedagogy and interaction in the two classrooms. Lesson observations were carried out during two oneweek cycles while semi-structured interviews with teachers and Heads of School were also conducted and relevant school-related documents analysed. The results of this study highlight the importance of achieving a balance between separating languages on the one hand and, on the other hand, of creating a space where learners are able to use their diverse linguistic repertoires to mediate their learning, thereby facilitating their access to the curriculum.