Education in Swedish on the Finnish language islands (SPRÅKÖPED)

The research team includes Senior University Lecturers Tom Gullberg and Mårten Björkgren, Professor Siv Björklund and Research Leader Katri Hansell from the Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies at Åbo Akademi University. The aim of the project is to study teaching activities in the language islands in early childhood education and basic education.

In the project we investigate the support and willingness of the local education and culture departments or municipalities to expand the activities on the language islands. Furthermore, the aim is to describe the special characteristics of the pedagogy used on language islands by using ethnographic methods. Additionally, the teaching activities will be described from early childhood education to basic education, up to grade 9. In the four municipalities we focus on, education in Swedish is mainly arranged up to grade 6. With some exceptions, up to the last grade of basic education (grade 9).

The main focus is to develop minority pedagogy methods with the help of action research and by observing teaching and pedagogical activity. The local interest to support and expand education and activities in Swedish is investigated by interviewing.

A multidisciplinary research method is applied in terms of the comprehensive aims including early childhood education, pedagogy of language immersion and multilingualism and subject didactics.

The research project is funded by Svenska kulturfonden.