Aufgeschlossen, unsicher, hierarchisierend, ambivalent oder funktional? Überzeugungstypen von Grundschullehrkräften zum Umgang mit Mehrsprachigkeit im Unterricht

Overview

This study investigates the multidimensional and potentially contradictory nature of elementary school teachers' beliefs regarding multilingualism in classroom instruction. The research employs typological analysis to identify distinct belief orientations among practicing teachers and examines how these beliefs influence pedagogical approaches to linguistic diversity.

Methods and approach

Semi-structured, vignette-based interviews were conducted with 43 elementary school teachers across six German federal states using purposive sampling methodology. Data analysis proceeded through systematic typological construction to identify distinct belief configurations and their internal coherence or contradictions regarding multilingual classroom practices.

Results

Five distinct teacher belief types emerged from the analysis. Type 1 demonstrates receptivity and positive orientation toward multilingualism. Type 2 exhibits professional expertise combined with instructional uncertainty in multilingual contexts. Type 3 manifests ambivalence in pedagogical decision-making regarding multilingual integration. Type 4 displays selective engagement with multilingualism while establishing language hierarchies. Type 5 reflects fundamental resistance to multilingual classroom practices. The typological findings reveal substantial heterogeneity and internal contradictions across the teacher sample.

Implications

The identified belief types constitute a professionalization continuum with implications for teacher development interventions. This continuum serves as a theoretical framework for designing professional learning opportunities that address multilingualism as a globalization phenomenon requiring management of uncertainty as a constitutive element. The heterogeneity of teacher beliefs suggests that effective professionalization strategies must accommodate diverse orientations rather than presuming uniform belief structures among practitioners.