“Multilingualism is a resource, not a difficulty”: Exploring Norwegian teachers’ beliefs and reported practices in multilingual settings

Abstract

This study explored Norwegian teachers’ (N = 181) (a) beliefs about multilingualism and the multilingual teaching practices (MTPs) they reported, (b) the extent to which their beliefs and practices were interrelated, and (c) their justifications of certain beliefs and practices. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s bivariate correlation, and content analysis. The findings revealed mixed views about multilingualism and three tendencies relative to MTPs. A significant positive correlation between beliefs and reported practices was found. Although many of the participants endorsed multilingualism in education, the dominant role of Norwegian and biased monolingual teacher ideology were the main factors hindering MTPs.