The agentive role of preschool leaders in language policy enactment: case studies of acceptance and resistance

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper explores the agentive role of school leaders in interpreting and implementing macro language education policies at preschool level in the Maldives. The Preschool Management Act of 2012 initiated a change in the medium of instruction from English to Dhivehi, recognising the importance of developing children’s literacy skills in the national language. This was closely followed by the implementation of a new National Curriculum that reinforced this need to prioritise strengthening children’s first language. Based on observational and interview data from two preschools, this paper investigates how school leaders’ ideologies about language, language education, and decision-making processes affected how these policies were interpreted and implemented at the micro-level of the school. The implementation process was dependent on whether school leaders opted to accept the policies and take on a proactive role in language planning at the school level; or chose to resist the policies and distance themselves from external pressures. Findings from these case studies reveal the critical role that school leaders play in either supporting or opposing pathways towards additive bilingual language acquisition. This paper contributes to the field of language policy by providing a portrait of how macro-level policies are enacted at the micro-level of the school.