Conference Agenda

Research has shown that high-quality teacher-child interactions are associated with children's learning outcomes, both in terms of language development and social skills (Reyhing & Perren, 2023). High-quality interactions consist of complex teacher behaviours: providing language input, providing opportunities for language production, and providing feedback (Peleman et al., 2020; Verhallen & Walst, 2011). Rich language input can be provided by setting high expectations for children and using complex syntax and extensive vocabulary (Grifenhagen & Dickinson, 2023). Preschool teachers can create opportunities for language production by being linguistically responsive to children's interests and language output (Justice et al., 2018). Language stimulating feedback can be defined as responding positively to children's utterances and recasting or expanding them (Bradley & Reinking, 2011; Justice et al., 2018; Peleman et al., 2020). The quality of interactions has been shown to be of paramount importance, but often doesn't have a high quality (Peleman et al., 2020; Wolstein et al., 2021). To realize qualitative interactions, complex language stimulating competences are necessary.

Teacher competence goes beyond the behaviours mentioned above. Blömeke (2015) defines competence as a continuum, contextualised in the real world, in which complex intellectual characteristics, together with affect-motivational dispositions, lead to and underpin the observable behaviour. Therefore, this study aims to explore one of the affective-motivational dispositions that influences ECE student teachers' language stimulation competencies, namely self-efficacy (Wolstein et al., 2021).

Self-efficacy is an important characteristic of teachers (Holzberger et al., 2013). It acts as cognitive filter that shapes thoughts and classroom behaviour (Keppens et al., 2021). It is defined as an individual's belief in the "ability to organise and execute the courses of action required to produce given performances" (Bandura, 1977, p.3). The most used theoretical framework to describe self-efficacy is Bandura's (1977) socio-cognitive theory (De Coninck et al., 2020). Bandura (1977) argued that cognitive processes mediate change and behaviour. To complete a task or perform a behaviour in the classroom, a teacher needs knowledge, skills, and a sense of confidence (Park et al., 2016). A substantial body of research supports that teachers' self-efficacy beliefs are related to several important teacher behaviours, such as more effective teaching practices, as well as student outcomes, such as student achievement and motivation (De Coninck et al., 2020).

Previous research has shown a relationship between teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and the quality of their classroom learning interactions (Guo et al., 2012; Son & Sung, 2014; Wolstein et al., 2021). For example, teachers with higher levels of self-efficacy are more likely to interact in a sensitive and supportive manner (Guo et al., 2012). However, other studies in the early childhood context do not show a clear relationship between self-efficacy and interaction quality (Guo et al., 2010; Reyhing & Perren, 2023; Spear et al., 2018). It is noteworthy that these studies measured self-efficacy beliefs as a broad construct. For example, Reyhing & Perren (2023) defined it as the extent to which early childhood educators feel able to engage in educational practice, whereas Bandura (2005) wrote: "There is no universal measure of perceived self-efficacy (Bandura, 2005, p. 307). A “one size fits all” approach will not explain or predict performance in the context of language development because a universal test will not be as relevant as a contextualised instrument (Bandura, 2005). To fill this research gap and to gain a clearer understanding of the relationship between self-efficacy and interaction quality, there is a need for an instrument in the context of language interaction in early childhood education (ECE). This paper describes the exploration of self-efficacy and the development of a self-report survey measure of student teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about their language stimulating competences.

Guided by its motto "United in diversity," the European Union the European Union actively promotes linguistic and cultural diversity by endorsing and safeguarding minority regional and migrant languages. Underlining the significance of plurilingual and intercultural education for fostering a democratic culture, the Recommendation (CM/Rec(2022)1) emphasizes the need for member states to adapt their policies and practices accordingly.

Reflecting this commitment, the recently enacted Spanish Law of Education (LOMLOE, Real Decreto 217/2022) has incorporated plurilingual competence as one of the key competences that students are expected to develop. At the regional level, it is noteworthy that Catalonia, one of Spain's bilingual Autonomous Communities, has implemented several measures to ensure an inclusive education system. Specifically, the Linguistic Model of the Educational System of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya, 2018) establishes a plurilingual and intercultural educational framework with Catalan as the reference language. Simultaneously, the Inclusion Decree 120/2017 guarantees the presence, participation, and learning of all students, with a particular focus on those belonging to vulnerable groups, such as students of immigrant origin.

These measures are a direct response to the challenges posed by the growing immigrant population, where students of immigrant origin now constitute 17% of the student body in Primary Education and 8% in Secondary Education (IDESCAT, 2023).

However, many teachers do not feel adequately prepared to teach in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts (Acquah & Commins, 2017). OECD reviews on the education of immigrants (2015, 2019) pointed out that teachers in Spain are among those who feel the least prepared to teach in multicultural or multilingual environments. These findings were confirmed by recent studies conducted in Catalonia, where it was observed that the majority of teachers do not consider the native languages of their students as learning resources when managing the classroom (Sáenz et al., forthcoming).

Hence, it is imperative for educators to possess the requisite competencies to excel in their teaching roles within an inclusive and intercultural educational system. Additionally, there is a need to establish conceptual frameworks and pedagogies that align with the identified needs and objectives. Approaches such as culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2018), culturally sustaining education (Paris, 2012, Alim & Paris, 2017) and translanguaging (García, 2009) can prove instrumental in this regard. These methodologies enable a critical understanding of linguistic and cultural diversity in classrooms, taking into account the varied needs, expectations, and linguistic and cultural backgrounds of all students, including those of immigrant origin. They underscore the idea that cultural and linguistic diversity is an opportunity to enhance the learning processes, thereby contributing inherently to an educational environment that cultivates citizens open to diversity and equipped to thrive in a multilingual and intercultural society.

Both approaches, integrated into the framework of initial teacher training, hold the potential to significantly impact three crucial variables aimed at enhancing language quality within the Catalan educational system: multicultural efficacy, teacher ethnocultural empathy, and cultural intelligence.

In this context, the primary objective of this study is to formulate and test a proposal for the training of pre-service primary education and secondary school teachers. This involves incorporating translanguaging practices and culturally responsive-sustaining education to elevate perceived teacher self-efficacy and improve teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse educational settings. The overarching goal is to contribute to the development of an inclusive, high-quality, and intercultural educational system.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) To what extent do pre-service teachers exhibit multicultural efficacy, ethnocultural empathy, and intercultural intelligence? (2) What effects does a training intervention on translanguaging and culturally responsive-sustaining education have on pre-service teachers' professional development?

High-quality language interactions during preschool age play a crucial role in supporting children's language development in early childhood education (ECE) (European Commission, 2018), and in particular for at-risk children (Sammons et al., 2015). Therefore, enhancing teachers' Language Stimulating (LS) competencies is a significant focus for both pre- and in-service preschool teachers. These competencies are integral to the professional identity of preschool teachers and are central in teacher education curricula. An important element in teachers’ competencies, along with knowledge, classroom behaviour and motivational aspects, is teachers’ pedagogical beliefs (Wieduwilt et al., 2023).

Teachers’ beliefs are described by Pajares (1992, p. 325) as “a filter through which new phenomena are interpreted”, shaping how teachers interpret situations, influencing their perceptions of the classroom context and subsequent behaviour (Degotardi & Gill, 2017; Pajares, 1992). Research commonly categorizes beliefs into teacher-centred and child-centred beliefs (Stipek & Byler, 1997; Wieduwilt et al., 2021). Child-centred pedagogical beliefs emphasize fostering children's autonomy and active exploration, while teacher-centred beliefs involve a more directive approach with the teacher leading in structuring children's learning. In the child-centred approach, language learning is closely tied to children's free play, with the teacher playing a responsive role (Weikart, 2000). The key distinction between both approaches lies in the degree of child engagement, with child-centred pedagogy aligning closely with constructivist approaches, and teacher-centred pedagogical beliefs with transmissive approaches (Lui & Bonner, 2016).

Pianta and colleagues (2005) suggest that child-centred beliefs are associated with higher interaction and instruction quality, and a more positive emotional climate in teacher-child interactions compared to teacher-centred beliefs (Wieduwilt et al., 2021). Furthermore, child-directed interaction, as emphasized in sociocultural research as creating shared experiences between children and teachers, is considered crucial for language development (Peleman et al., 2020; Rowe & Snow, 2020). However, while child-centred beliefs are believed to be essential for a language-stimulating environment, the literature lacks consistency on this matter, requiring more research on the specific relation between teachers' pedagogical beliefs and various quality facets (Wieduwilt et al., 2023). For example, Justice and colleagues (2018) highlight the importance of overall classroom quality, including factors like teacher-child ratio and instructional support, for children's language development in early childhood education, alongside linguistic responsivity and quality of teacher talk. It is therefore hypothesized that a certain level of teacher-centred beliefs – in combination to the child-centred beliefs, is necessary, where a teacher structures the classroom activities in such a way that many child-directed, language stimulating interactions can be realized.

Wieduwilt et al. (2021) stress the need for more empirical data on pedagogical beliefs, particularly in the context of language-related beliefs. To our knowledge, there is currently no questionnaire to capture these beliefs on stimulating language interactions in ECE. Therefore, the primary goal of this paper is to develop an instrument for capturing content-specific pedagogical beliefs on language-stimulating interaction in the ECE context. Additionally, the aim is explore the underlying structures of ECE teachers' pedagogical beliefs regarding language-stimulating interaction, assuming a twofold categorization. The final aim of this paper is to present preliminary results on the pedagogical beliefs of ECE student teachers in Flanders.