Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Instructional Practices in Early Swedish Immersion in Finland

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Nordic Families, Children and Early Childhood Education

Part of the book series: Studies in Childhood and Youth ((SCY))

Abstract

In Finland, the most popular language immersion programme is the Early Swedish Immersion (ESI). This approach has been adapted to Finland from the Early French Immersion programme that was developed in Canada in the 1960s. ESI has been an attractive alternative for children of Finnish-speaking families for over 30 years in Finland. Despite this fairly long history, only a few minor studies have been conducted with a specific focus on immersion teachers’ instructional practices in early childhood education settings. The aim of this chapter is to describe different instructional practices preschool teachers use in order to support the communication and language acquisition of 3–6-year-old children. Altogether, nine different teacher-led activities were video recorded in four different preschools in Finland.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Act on Early Childhood Education 580/2015. (2015). Retrieved January 20, 2017, from http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2015/20150580

  • Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsson, M. (2016). How to Plan and Perform a Qualitative Study Using Content Analysis. NursingPlus Open, 2, 8–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergroth, M., & Björklund, S. (2013). Kielikylpyohjelman tutkimustuloksia Suomessa (Research Findings on a Language Immersion Programme in Finland). In L. Tainio & H. Harju-Luukkainen (Eds.), Kaksikielinen koulu – tulevaisuuden monikielinen Suomi. Suomen kasvatustieteellisen seuran julkaisuja. Kasvatusalan tutkimuksia 62. (pp. 91–114). Jyväskylä: Jyväskylä University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Constitution of Finland 731/1999. (1999). Retrieved January 20, 2017, from http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990731

  • Cook, G. (2000). Language Play, Language Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, J. (1998). Immersion Education for the Millennium: What Have We Learned from 30 Years of Research on Second Language Immersion? In M. R. Childs & R. M. Bostwick (Eds.), Learning Through Two Languages: Research and Practice. Second Katoh Gakuen International Symposium on Immersion and Bilingual Education (pp. 34–47). Japan: Katoh Gakuen.

    Google Scholar 

  • d’Anglejan, A., & Tucker, G. R. (1971). Academic Report: The St. Lambert Program of Home School Language Switch. The Modern Language Journal, 55, 99–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drisko, J., & Maschi, T. (2015). Content Analysis. Pocket Guide to Social Work Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finnish Advisory Board on Research Ethics. (2002). Good Scientific Practice and Procedures for Handling Misconduct and Fraud in Science. Hyvä tieteellinen käytäntö ja sen loukkausten käsitteleminen. Finnish Advisory Board on Research Ethics. Retrieved from www.tenk.fi/sites/tenk.fi/files/HTK_ohje_2012.pdf

  • García, O. (2009). Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garvis, S., Harju-Luukkainen, H., & Flynn, T. (2018). A Descriptive Study of Early Childhood Education Steering Documents in Finland, Sweden and Australia around Language Immersion Programmes. Asia Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education, 12(3), 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genesee, F. (1987). Learning Through Two Languages: Studies of Immersion and Bilingual Education. Cambridge, MA: Newbury House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J. H., & Densten, I. L. (1998). Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis Using Latent and Manifest Variables. Quality & Quantity, 32, 419–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harju-Luukkainen, H. (2007). Kielikylpydidaktiikkaa kehittämässä. 3–6-vuotiaiden kielikylpylasten kielellinen kehitys ja kielikylpydidaktiikan kehittäminen päiväkodissa [Developing Language Immersion Didactics. 3–6-Year Old Children’s Linguistic Development and the Development of Language Immersion Didactics]. Doctoral Thesis, Åbo Akademi University, Turku.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harju-Luukkainen, H. (2010). Sukellus kielikylpyyn. Perustietoa vanhemmille kielikylvystä [A Dive into Language Immersion. Basic Information About Language Immersion] (2nd ed.). Helsinki: Research Solutions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harju-Luukkainen, H. (2013a). Vaihtelevia käytäntöjä kentällä: osittainen kielikylpy vai ruotsin-kieliseen kouluun sulauttaminen? [Different Approaches in the Field: Partial Immersion or Integration Into Swedish-Language School?] In L. Tainio & H. Harju-Luukkainen (Eds.), Kaksikielinen koulu – tulevaisuuden monikielinen Suomi. Suomen kasvatus-tieteellisen seuran julkaisuja. Kasvatusalan tutkimuksia 62 (pp. 342–365). Turku: Suomen kasvatustieteellinen seura.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harju-Luukkainen, H. (2013b). Kielikylpy Suomessa varhaiskasvatuksen kentällä – Mihin suunta tulevaisuudessa? [Language Immersion in the Field of Early Childhood Education. What Is the Direction for Future?]. Journal of Early Childhood Education Research, 2(1), 2–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kukk, A., Õunb, T., & Ugasteb, A. (2014). Readiness for School of Children Having Attended Language Immersion Kindergarten in the Teachers’ and Parents’ Opinions. International Journal of Early Years Education, 22(2), 156–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, W. E., & Tucker, G. R. (1972). Bilingual Education of Children. The St Lambert Experiment. Rowley, MA: Newbury House Publishers, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurén, Ch. (2000). Kielten taitajaksi. Kielikylpy käytännössä [Mastering a Language. Language Immersion in Practice]. Jyväskylä: Ateena.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mård, K. (2002). Språkbadsbarn kommunicerar på andraspråket. Fallstudier på daghemsnivå. Acta Wasaensia. Nr 100. Språkvetenskap 21. Universitas Wasaensis. Vasa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miettinen, E., Kangasvieri, E., & Saarinen, T. (2013). Vaihtelevaa toteutusta ja kasvavaa kiinnos-tusta: Kielikylpyopetus ja vieraskielinen opetus kunnissa [Different Approaches and Larger Interest: Language Immersion and Foreign Language Teaching in Municipalities in Finland]. In L. Tainio & H. Harju-Luukkainen (Eds.), Kaksikielinen koulu – tulevaisuuden monikielinen Suomi. Kasvatusalan tutkimuksia; Nro 62 (pp. 71–90). Turku: Suomen kasvatustieteellinen seura.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Care. (2016). Grunderna för planen för småbarnspedagogik 2016. Helsingfors: Finnish National Board of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). (2017). Varhaiskasvatus 2016 [Early Childhood Education in 2016. Statistical Report]. Tilastoraportti 29/2017. Retrieved from http://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/135183/Tr29_17_vuositilasto.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y

  • Østern, A.-L. (2002). Språkglädje och språklig medvetenhet. Lekar och övningar för en- och flerspråkiga barn. Dokumentation från Pedagogiska Fakulteten vid Åbo Akademi. Nr 2/2002. Åbo Akademi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pelletier, J. (1998). A Comparison of Children’s Understanding of School in Regular English Language and French Immersion Kindergartens. Language Review, 55(2), 239–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savijärvi, M. (2011). Yhteisestä toiminnasta yhteiseen kieleen. Keskustelunanalyyttinen tutkimus toisen kielen oppimisesta kielikylpypäiväkodin arkitilanteissa [From Joint Action to Shared Language. A Discourse Analytical Study on Second Language Learning in the Everyday Settings of a Language Immersion Kindergarten]. Doctoral Thesis, University of Helsinki, Helsinki. Retrieved from http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-10-7309-0

  • Snow, M. A. (1990). Instructional Methodology in Immersion Foreign Language Education. In A. M. Padilla, H. H. Fairchild, & C. M. Valades (Eds.), Foreign Language Education: Issues and Strategies (pp. 156–171). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Finland. (2017). Muuttoliike [Migration]. Helsinki: Statistics Finland. Retrieved from http://www.stat.fi/til/muutl/2016/muutl_2016_2017-05-17_tie_001_fi.html

  • Statistics Finland. (2018). Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Population Structure [e-Publication]. Helsinki, Finland: Statistics Finland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swain, M. (1999). Integrating Language and Content Teaching Through Collaborative Tasks. In C. Ward & W. Renandya (Eds.), Language Teaching: New Insights for the Language Teacher. RELC Anthology, Series 40 (pp. 125–147). Singapore: SEAMEO, cop.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (2000). Task-Based Second Language Learning: The Use of the Fist Language. Language Teaching Research, 4(3), 251–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vesterbacka, S. (1990). Om kanadensiskt språkbad och språkbadsprojektet i Vasa. In Ch. Laurén & S. Vesterbacka. Vaasan kielikylpykoulu. Vaasan korkeakoulun julkaisuja nro 1. Vaasa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, R. (1990). Basic Content Analysis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nord University, Bodø, Norway

    Heidi Harju-Luukkainen

  2. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Desmond Amakye & Lisa Cederberg

Authors
  1. Heidi Harju-Luukkainen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Desmond Amakye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lisa Cederberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heidi Harju-Luukkainen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Susanne Garvis , Sonja Sheridan  & Pia Williams ,  & 

  2. Nord University, Bodø, Norway

    Heidi Harju-Luukkainen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Harju-Luukkainen, H., Amakye, D., Cederberg, L. (2019). Instructional Practices in Early Swedish Immersion in Finland. In: Garvis, S., Harju-Luukkainen, H., Sheridan, S., Williams, P. (eds) Nordic Families, Children and Early Childhood Education. Studies in Childhood and Youth. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16866-7_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16866-7_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16865-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-16866-7

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation