Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 19th Aug 2026, 21:28:40 EET
|
Daily Overview |
| Session | ||
06 SES 10 A: Multiliteracies, Language Education, and Curriculum
Paper Session | ||
    | ||
06. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures
Paper Multiliteracies in Early Foreign Language Education: Interrelations between a Pedagogical Concept, Curriculum and Teacher Beliefs University of Jyväskylä, Finland Presenting Author:The concept of multiliteracies has a prominent position in the Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (EDUFI, 2016) as a transversal skill covering all subjects taught in basic education grades 1-9. It entered the curriculum in the renewal process in 2014, but there has been very little empirical research to examine in what form this theoretical and pedagogical concept has been adopted in the curriculum or how it is implemented in teaching. In this presentation, we approach the topic from the perspective of early foreign language education, when children enter formal schooling and encounter a new textual world of the familiar first language(s), and the new resources provided by the new language starting upon entry to school in grade 1. The aim of this presentation is to investigate the practical application of the concept of multiliteracies in early foreign language education by examining the curriculum, teacher beliefs, and their interrelations. In the past few decades, research-based understanding of language and language learning has moved from psycholinguistic, formalist, and monolingual views to sociolinguistic, dialogic, and multilingual ones (Block, 2003; May, 2019). This has led to quite radical re-conceptualizations of language as a resource rather than a structure or skill (e.g. Makoni & Pennycook, 2007; Wei, 2011) and literacy as multiliteracies (The New London Group, 1996), which extends the idea of literacy as the ability to read and write written texts to the multiple means and modalities of communication. The Douglas Fir Group’s (2016) framework for second language acquisition emphasizes that additional language learning occurs at the micro (social activity), meso (social institutions), and macro (ideological structures) levels, which interact and permeate each other to form a complex, dynamic, and non-linear context within which language learning is negotiated. In this study, we focus on the macro and micro levels. The macro level in our investigation equals the administrative level in the form of a formal written curriculum. The curriculum forms the basis of education by presenting the aims and contents of education. Furthermore, societal changes, new scientific openings and educational innovations permeate to teaching and learning practices through curricula (Vitikka et al., 2012). The most recent Finnish curriculum reform in 2016 (Halinen et al., 2015) drew on latest research in the field of education in forming seven transversal competencies cutting across all subjects. One of these competencies is multiliteracies, the focus of this study. Research has shown, however, that theoretical thinking does not automatically transfer into curricula (Westbury, 2008) and therefore it is crucial to take a close look at how the concept of multiliteracies in question is visible in the curriculum. Secondly, we focus on the micro level, which in our study is represented by teachers’ understanding of the concept of multiliteracies in their practical work in the classrooms, i.e. we examine teachers’ beliefs. As language teaching and learning is largely dependent on teacher (and learner) beliefs of the means and goals of learning languages (e.g. Basturkmen, 2012; Fillmore & Snow, 2000), it is vital to understand how conceptualizations emerge and how they are connected to and reflected in teaching and learning practices. The research questions the study aims at answering are:
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This study is carried out in an ongoing research project that aims to gain critical understanding of language teachers' and learners' conceptualizations of language and multiliteracies and the reflection of these in teaching and learning practices in early language learning. The first data set in this study comprises the parts of the Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (EDUFI, 2016; 2020) which stipulate foreign language education in grades 1-2. This study concentrates on the curriculum sections where three of the seven transversal areas related to the concept of multiliteracies are addressed and on the subject-specific section for foreign languages in grades 1-2. The second set of data consists of individual interviews with 6 teachers teaching English or German in grades 1 and 2. The interviews were conducted in Spring 2025 either face-to-face or via Teams. They were recorded and transcribed for analysis. Both the curriculum documents and the interviews were analysed separately by thematic content analysis (Krippendorff, 2019). The curriculum analysis was theory-driven and approached elements of the concept of multiliteracies based on Cope and Kalantzis’ conceptualization of the concept: multimodality, multisituational lifeworlds, and multilingualism (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009; Kalantzis & Cope, 2023a; 2023b). The interview analysis was data-driven and proceeded from close reading of the transcripts to the identification of meaning units, which were coded and grouped into categories emerging from the data. In the final stage, the findings of the interview analysis were examined against the findings of the curriculum analysis to identify points of convergence and divergence. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings In the analysis of the curriculum, we found that in terms of multimodality, the focus is predominantly on oral language and bodily engagement. A broad idea of text is promoted, which includes images, motion and sound in addition to written text. When multisituational lifeworlds were examined, we noticed that the focus is on age and cultural identity. Multilingualism is quite strongly present in the curriculum, although not directly connected to multiliteracies. The curriculum focuses on intercultural and language awareness and pays also attention to pupils’ plurilingualism. The data driven analysis of the interviews brought out, first of all, that the teachers teaching early foreign languages were not fully aware of the concept of multiliteracies and the elements included in it. Teachers saw that concepts are often imposed on them through the curriculum without explicit discussion on the meaning of them. Therefore, concepts often remain to be “fancy terms”. Secondly, the teachers thought nevertheless that many elements of the concepts introduced in curricula are unconsciously implemented in their own foreign language teaching practice. When set against the curriculum analysis, we saw that the following elements in teachers’ beliefs were in line with the curriculum. The teachers highlighted multimodality in their teaching with very little focus on written text. They shared, however, the broad understanding of text with the curriculum, but at the same time, they felt that written texts or critical reading have no place in early foreign language education. This view is connected to the curriculum’s emphasis on age: the teachers adapted their teaching according to the age and cognitive abilities of the children. References Basturkmen, H. (2012). Review of research into the correspondence between language teachers’ stated beliefs and practices. System 40, 282-295. Block, D. (2003). The Social Turn in Second Language Acquisition. Edinburgh University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctvxcrwd8 Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2009). Multiliteracies: New literacies, new learning. Pedagogies 4(3), 164–195. EDUFI (2016). National core curriculum for basic education 2014. National Agency for Education. EDUFI (2020). Amendments and additions to the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014 regarding the instruction of the A1 language in grades 1-2. National Agency for Education. Fillmore, L. W. ,& Snow, C. (2000). What teachers need to know about language? Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC. Garcia, A., Luke, A., & Seglem, R. (2018). Looking at the next twenty years of multiliteracies: A discussion with Allan Luke. Theory into practice 57(1), 72-78. Halinen, I., Harmanen, M., & Mattila, P. (2015). Making sense of complexity of the world today: Why Finland is introducing multiliteracy in teaching and learning. In V. Bozsik (Ed.), Improving literacy skills across learning. CIDREE Yearbook 2015 (pp. 136–153). HIERD. [online] https://www.cidree.org/fileadmin/files/pdf/publications/YB_15_Improving_Literacy_Skills_Across_Learning.pdf Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2023a). Multiliteracies: Life of an Idea. The International Journal of Literacies, 30(2), https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0136/CGP/v30i02/17-89 Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2023b). Multiliteracies: A Short Update. The International Journal of Literacies, 30(2), https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0136/CGP/v30i02/1-15 Krippendorff, K. (2019). Content analysis. An introduction to its methodology. 4th edition. SAGE. Makoni, S., & Pennycook, A. (2007). Disinventing and reconstituting languages. In S. Makoni & A. Pennycook (Eds), Disinventing and reconstituting languages. (pp. 1–41). Multilingual Matters. May, S. (2019). Negotiating the multilingual turn in SLA. The Modern Language Journal 103, 122–129. The New London Group (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66, 60-92. Vitikka, E., Krokfors, L., & Hurmerinta, E. (2012). The Finnish national core curriculum: Structure and development. In H. Niemi, A. Toom & A. Kallioniemi (Eds.), Miracle of education: The principles and practices of teaching and learning in Finnish schools (pp. 83-96). Sense Publishers. Wei, L. (2011). Multilinguality, multimodality, and multicompetence: Code- and modeswitching by minority ethnic children in complementary schools. The Modern Language Journal 95, 370–384. Westbury, I. (2008). Making curricula. The Sage handbook of curriculum and instruction, (pp. 45-65). 06. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures
Paper Foreign Language Teachers’ Reflections of Learning Environments – Dreams and Realities University of Jyväskylä, Finland Presenting Author:This study presents the envisioned ideals and the lived realities of three teachers teaching a foreign language to first graders. In the research context of this study, Finland, the first foreign language can be taught either by a subject teacher (language teacher) or a class teacher. The Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education states that foreign language teaching in the early years should awaken a positive attitude towards language learning by emphasizing the joy of learning, diverse ways of learning, and multimodality (EDUFI, 2016). Interaction, activity-based tasks, games and play, music, drama, and movement are highlighted as some of the key ways of learning. Regarding the learning environment, the curriculum notes that the entire school building and its surrounding areas can be used for learning, and that versatile learning environments can support different ways of learning and encourage students’ curiosity to learn. In addition, the curriculum states that the learning environment supports development of multiliteracy when pictures, movement, sounds, and different didactic tools are incorporated in teaching (EDUFI, 2016). The teachers who are in focus of this study participate in a larger project focusing on multiliteracy in early foreign language learning and teaching. One of the key factors of multiliteracies is multimodality, which includes spatiality as one of the modes for meaning making (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009). In literacy research, there has been a “spatial turn” that has led researchers to describe and analyse literacy practices in specific social spaces such as schools (see Mills & Comber, 2015). Spaces and places are also closely connected to teaching and to the possibilities of using the teaching premises in different, innovative ways (Frelin et al., 2025; Mills & Comber, 2013). As Mills and Comber (2013: 647) note, space and place are relational and dynamic; because they are socially produced, they can also be contested, reimagined, and remade. Therefore, learning can occur in different ways, in different settings, at different times, and with different materials. This study focuses on the physical, material, spatial, and temporal settings, both imagined and realistic, to highlight the possibilities and challenges teachers face when planning and implementing teaching of foreign languages. All teachers participating in this study teach a first foreign language (English or German) to first graders, but they work in three very different contexts. One of the teachers is a class teacher, who teaches their class every day, while the other two are subject teachers, who meet their students only once a week. The three contexts range from a small village to a big city; each located in different regions of Finland. Two of the schools are old, more traditional buildings, whereas one is more recently built. Group sizes also vary, ranging from 12 to 23 students. This study applies a multimethod approach to address the following research questions: 1) What space-related dreams, realities, and challenges emerge in the teachers’ visual and verbal accounts? 2) In what ways does the lived experience of space correspond to teachers’ ideals of teaching a foreign language to first graders and does it enable teaching in multimodal, joyful and versatile way? Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The data for this study were collected by using a multimethod approach that combined visual materials created by the participating teachers, elicitation interviews, and additional data gathered and produced by the researchers (see more on visual data in Kalaja & Melo-Pfeifer, 2025). The primary data used in the study include 1) a visual task of Ideals, in which teachers were asked to draw a picture or create a mind map of how early language teaching would be carried out in an ideal world, 2) teachers’ multimodal diaries on themes environment, activities, and materials; and 3) elicitation interviews based on the multimodal diaries and the task of Ideals. In addition, photographs of the classrooms and teaching materials taken by the researchers, as well as research diary entries from classroom observations were used as secondary data. The data were collected by several researchers during the spring 2025. The analysis included several phases. First, a portrait of each teacher’s teaching environment was created to provide an understanding of the different physical settings. Next, the task of Ideals was analysed to identify common themes in the teachers’ drawings. These themes – the group size, the teaching environment, the materials, the activities, and the presence of other adults such as assistants, parents, other teachers and principals – were then used as a starting point for a thematic content analysis of the data (Kuckartz & Rädiker, 2023). The data were coded using the program Atlas.ti. The data created with and by each teacher were first analysed separately to understand each teacher’s perspective on ideals, realities, and challenges. Finally, the datasets were combined and analysed together to illustrate the different perspectives and possibilities of early foreign language teaching and learning. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings This study discusses teachers’ dreams, realities, and challenges related to spaces they use for teaching foreign languages. The analysis highlights the centrality of space and demonstrates how the other themes identified in the task of Ideals – such as group size, activities, teaching environment, and materials – are all connected to the spatial conditions in which the teachers work. The teachers’ different realities have shaped their possibilities to use spaces in the ways they envisioned, influencing, for example, the use of different materials or the possibilities to rearrange the classroom environment or to work outside the classroom. The majority of the challenges identified by the teachers stem from external factors, such as classroom layouts, resources, and large group sizes, which are not always easy to change. Some challenges, however, arise from inside and might therefore be more easily addressed. Despite the variation in teaching contexts and everyday realities, the teachers also shared common wishes, one of them being the possibility to work with an assistant, which would enable working in smaller groups or outside the classroom. Such arrangements would, in turn, support more versatile and joyful learning activities to awake a positive attitude toward language learning. References Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2009). “Multiliteracies”: New Literacies, New Learning. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 4(3), 164–195. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15544800903076044 EDUFI (Finnish National Board of Education). (2016). National core curriculum for basic education. Finnish National Board of Education Frelin, A., Grannäs, J., & Woolner, P. (2025). Comparing teachers’ experiences of innovative and traditional learning spaces: what’s going on? Learning Environments Research 28, 711–731. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/210984-025-09550-3 Kalaja, P., & Melo-Pfeifer, S. (Eds.) (2025). Visualising Language Students and Teachers as Multilinguals. Advancing Social Justice in Education. Multilingual Matters. Kuckartz, U., & Rädiker, S. (2023). Qualitative Content Analysis: Methods, Practice and Software. 2nd Edition. Sage. Mills, K. A., & Comber, B. (2015). Socio-spatial approaches to literacy studies. Rethinking the social constitution and politics of space. In J. Rowsell & K. Pahl (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Literacy Studies, S. 91–103. Routledge. Mills, K. A., & Comber, B. (2013). Space, Place, and Power. The Spatial Turn in Literacy Research. In K. Hall, T. Cremin, B. Comber & L. C. Moll (Eds.), International Handbook of Research on Children’s Literacy, Learning, and Culture, S. 647–663. Wiley. 06. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures
Paper ***WITHDRAWN*** Exploring Transcultural Musical Identities: Fostering a Culturally Sensitive Music Teaching Approach Hochschule für Musik Trossingen, Germany Presenting Author:The universal need to establish an individual identity highlights the fundamental human desire for recognition and a sense of belonging (Keupp, 1999). The desire both to have an individual voice and to belong to a community compel us to shape our identity in a way that acknowledges our uniqueness while also aligning it with that of the wider social group (Krappmann, 2021). However, this process can be very complex in the context of post-migrant individuals negotiating multiple identities within superdiverse, complex societies (Vertovec, 2007). As identities are malleable, this fluidity can place individuals in a state of ambivalence characterised by persistence, development, and hybridity, which may appear contradictory (Bhabha, 2012). This contribution is part of a study examining the development of post-migrant musical identities. The research aims to explore the implications of this area for culturally sensitive music education. In this regard, two key questions arise: how are post-migrant musical identities shaped, and what role does the post-migrant journey play in the development of transcultural musical identities? The study also emphasises the importance of being aware of this complex situation when seeking to foster a culturally sensitive approach in music education. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This study employed a qualitative methodology within the framework of reconstructive social research (Bohnsack, 2021). The study involved interviewing 28 professional musicians with post-migrant biographies. The interviews were initially analysed using the qualitative structural content method (Kuckartz & Rädicker, 2022) to establish links between the interviewees' responses and the current state of research in this field. A second analysis was then conducted using the type-based content method (ibid.) to identify connections between the interviewees. Finally, nine interviews were analysed as case studies in line with reconstructive biographical research (Bohnsack, 2021). Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings This contribution explores transculturality (Hall, 1990;1994; Hall et al., 2004) in the context of music and music education (Kenny, 2025; Wiesenfeldt, 2025). It will consider how pivotal experiences influence the development of transcultural musical identities among individuals with a personal history of displacement, and examine how biographical narratives (Barrett, 2017) could raise awareness of the need for equitable, culturally sensitive approaches in music education. The presentation will also provide an overview of the initial findings, focusing on the categories that emerged during the content analysis phase of the study regarding transcultural processes among individuals with post-migrant histories. The tension fields identified and their direct implications for developing a culture-sensitive approach to music education will also be a predominant part of the presentation, forming the basis for the subsequent discussion. References Barrett, M. S. (2017). From small stories. In MacDonald, R., Hargreaves, D. & Miell, D. (Hrsg.) Handbook of musical identities, 63-78. Bhabha, H. K. (2012). Über kulturelle Hybridität: Tradition und Übersetzung. Verlag Turia+ Kant Bohnsack, R. (2021) Rekonstruktive sozialforschung. Vs Verlag Fur Sozialwissenschaft Hall, S. (1990). Cultural Identity and Diaspora. In Rutherford, J. (Hrsg). Identity. Community, Culture, Difference. Lawrence & Wishart London. S. 222 - 237 Hall, S. (1994). Rassismus und Kulturelle Identität. Hamburg: Argument-Verlag Hall, S., Koivisto, J., & Merkens, A. (2004). Ideologie, Identität, Repräsentation. Hamburg: Argument-Verlag. Kenny, A. (2025). Music Refuge. Living Asylum Through Music. Oxford University Press Keupp, H. (1999). Identitätskonstruktionen: das Patchwork der Identitäten in der Spätmoderne. Rowohlt-Taschenbuch-Verlag Krappmann, L. (2000). Soziologische Dimensionen der Identität: Strukturelle Bedingungen für die Teilnahme an Interaktionsprozessen. Klett-Cotta [11. Auflage]. Kuckartz, U. & Rädiker, S. (2022). Qualitative inhaltsanalyse: methoden, praxis, computerunterstützung. [5. Auflage]. Beltz Juventa. Mecheril, P., & Polat, A. (2024). Perspektiven kritischer Migrationsforschung als Reflexionsgrundlagen für soziale und pädagogische Handlungsfelder. Migration und Soziale Arbeit 3/2024. Vertovec, S. (2007). Super-Diversity and Its Implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies 30. S. 1024-1054 Wiesenfeldt, C. (2025). Musik und Heimat. Bärenreiter-Verlag. | ||