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Prospective teachers’ views on foreign students’ education and heritage languages (Bachelor thesis)

Πασχαλίδου, Βασιλεία/ Paschalidou, Vasileia

Our interest in exploring the views of prospective teachers on foreign students’ education and heritage languages is the reason for writing this essay. Initially, the theoretical framework of the subject is developed, including information gathered from bibliographic research. In particular, the essay was divided and developed in four parts: (a) the differentiation of foreign students in contrast with the rest of the students during the courses and the problems that arise therein, (b) the role teachers ought to assume to help ease the adjustment of the students, (c) the role the welcome classes hold, and (d) the maintenance of foreign students’ heritage languages and also their spreading among the majority population. In the second part of the paper, the survey is presented, which was carried out through questionnaires that were distributed to prospective kindergarten teachers, The views of the new generation of teachers concerning the heritage languages of foreign students are highlighted, while comparisons are made with previous surveys. The results of the study indicate that the views of young teachers do not seem to be particularly different from those emerging in previous surveys. What is observed is that views in previous research are deeper in the subject, since opinions and experiences of people who have already worked in education are noted.