Researching Educational Practices, Teacher Education and Professional Development for Early Language Learning: Examples from Europe

by Sandie Mourão (Editor), Carolyn Leslie (Editor)

Overview

Recognising the urgent need for further progress in teacher education and preparation for the success of early language learning, this volume presents research on the education and professional development of teachers, exploring how they can foster multilingual spaces in the early years of formal education.

Investigating a range of European contexts, the book examines the effectiveness of teacher education for early language learning, covering contexts of multilingualism and English as a foreign language (EFL) with children under the age of 12. Split into three parts examining research into teacher practices, education, and curricula, chapters cover emerging topics such as teacher education and local linguistic encounters; global citizenship and transcultural education; linguistic landscapes and visual narratives; mixed-age classrooms and literacy skills; pre-service and in-service teacher education; and teacher and teacher educator competencies and beliefs.

Offering a unique combination of foci on teachers, teacher education and classroom practice, this book will be of great interest to researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of early language education, multilingualism, EFL and teacher education more broadly. Student teachers and teachers working in early language learning contexts may also find the volume of interest.

Introduction, Chapters 7, 11, 12 and 13 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032266046
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/27/2025
Series:	Routledge Research in Language Education
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sandie Mourão is a research fellow at Nova University Lisbon, Portugal.

Carolyn Leslie is an Assistant Professor at Nova University Lisbon, Portugal.

Table of Contents

Author biographies

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Sandie Mourão and Carolyn Leslie

Part 1: Researching Teacher Practices

Chapter 1. The transformative power of local language encounters: Implications for teacher education  

Malika Pedley, David Roxburgh, Lorna Anderson and Joanna McPake 

Chapter 2. An investigation into linguistically and culturally responsive practices in early childhood education in Iceland 

Hanna Ragnarsdóttir 

Chapter 3. Teachers’ perceptions, classroom practices and needs in developing students’ FL literacy skill: A transnational study 

Mateja Dagarin Fojkar, Katarzyna Brzosko-Barratt and Raquel Fernández-Fernández

Chapter 4. Mixed-age primary classroom foreign language teaching: Implications for teacher education 

Tomáš Kos 

Chapter 5. Early English language learning: Exploring pedagogical practices in a pre-primary EFL class in Catalonia through systematic observation

Alexandra Vraciu and Elisabet Pladevall-Ballester

Part 2: Researching Teacher Education

Chapter 6. Exploring multi and translingual perspectives through dominant language constellation artefacts in teacher education: Shifting perspectives 

Nayr Correia Ibrahim 

Chapter 7. Preparing teachers for multilingualism in Norwegian early childhood education and care provision through student active learning methods   

Elena Tkachenko, Nina Gram Garmann and Anna Sara H. Romøren  

Chapter 8. Climbing the ladder of global citizenship: The discourses and practices of pre-service primary English teachers in Portugal 

Mónica Lourenço 

Chapter 9. Linguistic landscapes as a resource in language teacher education 

Jana Roos and Howard Nicholas 

Chapter 10. Teaching-based master dissertations to support reflective practices when using story in early English language learning  

Annett Kaminski 

Chapter 11. In-service teacher education in English: Theorizing and critical reflection as tools for transforming teaching practices 

Ingebjørg Mellegård 

Part 3: Researching Teacher Education Curricula

Chapter 12. Professional learning competences and tasks in primary English teacher education curricula in Portugal 

Flávia Vieira, Sandie Mourão, Ana Isabel Andrade and Ana Raquel Simões 

Chapter 13. Language ideologies at play in early childhood teacher education: A study of syllabi and textbooks

Gunhild Tomter Alstad 

Chapter 14. Looking at different formats of professional development in the context of EFL teacher education in CLIL programmes: An exercise in reflective practice 

Ana Halbach  

Afterword

Index

Editorial Reviews

"Mourão and Leslie’s edited collection of research studies from across Europe is a must-read for everyone concerned with teacher professional development in early language learning. Papers authored by experienced teachers, teacher educators and university professors illustrate rich experiences in professional development while also revealing how much still needs to be done if teachers are to attain a coherent professional identity rather than simply complete a checklist of so-called competencies. This volume serves as a call to action for proper investment in high quality development programmes for all teachers of early language learning."

Dr Janet Enever, Professor Emerita of Language Education, Umeå University, Sweden.

"Good quality teacher education is widely recognised as critical to set the foundations for successful professional practice. High quality teacher education in the early/primary years, and in multilingual contexts, is equally vital yet comparatively under-researched. This volume, which brings together colleagues from across Europe presenting a diverse mix of chapters addressing key issues within teacher practices, education, and curricula, is a must-read primer for anyone interested in better understanding how to develop high quality teaching and teacher education in multilingual classrooms in the foundational stages of formal education."

Dr Victoria A. Murphy, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Oxford University, UK.

"Focused on teacher education and early language learning, this collective effort by esteemed experts in the field fills a critical void, offering empirical insights into teachers’ professional development, and higher education contexts. Spanning diverse European contexts, it addresses multilingualism and English as a foreign language with children aged 3 to 12 in relation to both generalist and specialist teachers. From Iceland to Spain, the book intricately explores teacher practices, education, and curricula, employing case studies and innovative methodologies to ensure an active, hands-on learning experience in teacher education."

Dr Danijela Prošić-Santovac, Associate Professor, University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

"Mourão and Leslie’s edited collection of research studies from across Europe is a must-read for everyone concerned with teacher professional development in early language learning. Papers authored by experienced teachers, teacher educators and university professors illustrate rich experiences in professional development while also revealing how much still needs to be done if teachers are to attain a coherent professional identity rather than simply complete a checklist of so-called competencies. This volume serves as a call to action for proper investment in high quality development programmes for all teachers of early language learning."

Dr Janet Enever, Professor Emerita of Language Education, Umeå University, Sweden.

"Good quality teacher education is widely recognised as critical to set the foundations for successful professional practice. High quality teacher education in the early/primary years, and in multilingual contexts, is equally vital yet comparatively under-researched. This volume, which brings together colleagues from across Europe presenting a diverse mix of chapters addressing key issues within teacher practices, education, and curricula, is a must-read primer for anyone interested in better understanding how to develop high quality teaching and teacher education in multilingual classrooms in the foundational stages of formal education."

Dr Victoria A. Murphy, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Oxford University, UK.

 "Focused on teacher education and early language learning, this collective effort by esteemed experts in the field fills a critical void, offering empirical insights into teachers’ professional development, and higher education contexts. Spanning diverse European contexts, it addresses multilingualism and English as a foreign language with children aged 3 to 12 in relation to both generalist and specialist teachers. From Iceland to Spain, the book intricately explores teacher practices, education, and curricula, employing case studies and innovative methodologies to ensure an active, hands-on learning experience in teacher education."

Dr Danijela Prošić-Santovac, Associate Professor, University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

From the Publisher