Students whose home language differs from Norwegian or Sámi are entitled to language support to help them integrate into mainstream education. Agnieszka Malgorzata Moraczewska's doctoral thesis examines one such support scheme: bilingual subject teaching, where students receive subject instruction in both their native language and Norwegian.
"My study takes a closer look at Polish-Norwegian teaching in secondary school and explores how teachers use both languages to support students' learning and language development", says the PhD candidate.
Drawing on interviews and classroom observations, the findings show that bilingual instruction has the potential to strengthen students’ subject knowledge, support Norwegian language acquisition, and foster positive multilingual identities.
"Teachers act as key mediators, connecting students’ prior experiences with new academic demands and bridging adapted and mainstream education", say Moraczewska.
The dissertation contributes to multilingual education by illustrating how inclusive and linguistically diverse classrooms can be successfully implemented in practice, offering valuable insights for improving language support programmes.
Agnieszka Malgorzata Moraczewska has been affiliated with the PhD programme in Educational Sciences. Her thesis is titled: "Bridging Language and Culture: Bilingual Subject Instruction for Polish students in Norway".
The main findings of the doctoral research:
- Bilingual subject instruction functions as a unique pedagogical space where students’ linguistic resources are actively used to support both academic and linguistic development.
- The use of students’ home language (Polish) in teaching contributes to better comprehension of subject content and facilitates the learning of Norwegian as a second language.
- Through conscious and strategic use of multiple languages, students’ cross-linguistic awareness and metalinguistic skills are enhanced.
- The teacher employs translanguaging as a scaffolding strategy, which supports students’ understanding and participation in learning processes.
- Bilingual teachers play a vital role in strengthening students’ multilingual identities and promoting social inclusion by valuing their linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
- Bilingual teachers act as bridges between adapted and mainstream instruction, continuously negotiating between their own experiences, ideologies, and educational policy frameworks.
- Teachers with heteroglossic ideologies (a positive orientation toward multilingualism) facilitate meaningful and inclusive teaching practices.
- By recognizing students’ existing knowledge and experiences, teachers contribute to creating a learning environment where students’ voices and perspectives are valued.