«Κουλαντρίζοντας τις διαλέκτους στο σχολειό»: Η κρητική διάλεκτος ως εργαλείο γλωσσικής διδασκαλίας στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση

Abstract

Aim of the present study is to revise the existing literature on the role and value of dialects in the Greek educational system as well as to present a study on the attitudes of preschool teachers regarding dialectal learning and teaching. Emphasis is placed on the dialectal variants of western Crete. We are interested in the dialect of Crete because it has a great number of speakers in Greece, it is characterized by a medium deviance from standard Greek and is spoken by different age groups (Παπαναστασίου 2015). The study, first, investigates the degree to which the Cretan dialect is spoken in preschool classes, second, tests the factors which determine dialectal use, third, raises preschool teachers’ attitudes regarding the dynamics of the Cretan dialect, and, fourth, reports on teachers’ language teaching practices. The data are qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed in order to capture various aspects of teacher’s attitudes. One of the major findings is that teachers acknowledge the importance of dialectal learning and teaching, however, they are deeply skeptical about the extent to which dialectal teaching can be incorporated in the Greek curriculum and the forms dialectal teaching may take.