Reinhilde Pulinx

Silencing linguistic diversity: The extent, the determinants and consequences of the monolingual beliefs of Flemish teachers

ABSTRACT This article aims to deepen our understanding of the dynamic interaction between language policies, school characteristics and teachers’ beliefs about monolingualism. The study takes place in Flanders (Belgium), a region characterized by educational policies which are based on a stringent monolingual ideology. Based on a survey of 775 teachers from across 48 secondary schools, we examined how these policies affected teachers’ beliefs, whether and how teacher beliefs vary between schools, and what the consequences of these beliefs are. The results of our multilevel analysis indicate that teachers strongly adhere to monolingual policies, while there are also significant differences across schools, which are related to the ethnic composition of those schools. Furthermore, a stronger adherence to monolingualism was found to trigger teachers to have lower expectations about their students but not about their ability to teach. Finally, implications for policymakers are discussed.

The impact of langauge and integration policies on the social participation of adult migrants

Knowledge of the language of the so-called host society is considered as one of the most crucial elements for successful integration and as the main lever to increase immigrants’ level of self-reliance and to stimulate social interaction and participation. This small-scale qualitative study, situated in Flanders (Belgium), aims to gain more insight into the impact of integration programmes, with knowledge of the language of the host society as nucleus, on opportunities for social participation and building sustainable social networks. Résumé : Comprendre et parler la langue du pays d’accueil est considéré comme l’un des facteurs clés d’une intégration réussie et comme le principal levier pour renforcer le niveau de confiance en soi des migrants et stimuler l’interaction et la participation sociale. Cette étude qualitative menée à petite échelle en Flandre (Belgique) se propose de mieux comprendre les effets des programmes d’intégration centrés sur la connaissance de la langue du pays d’accueil, ainsi que sur les possibilités de participation sociale et de construction de réseaux sociaux durables.