The Pedagogical Role of Heritage Language Education for Children with a Migration Background in Public Kindergartens and Primary Schools: Results of Semi-structured Interviews with Teachers and Stakeholders

Abstract

In Italy, heritage language education (HLE) is mainly offered as an extracurricular activity, and thus its role within the public school system remains in question. This paper sheds light on how teachers and stakeholders perceive the pedagogical role of HLE in kindergarten and primary schools in the Province of Bolzano. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with teachers and stakeholders and analyzed through a qualitative content analysis. The results show that HLE plays: 1) a role within personal development, for example, the development of personality and self-esteem; 2) a role within the school system: the data has shown the marginalized position of HLE in the school system as it is perceived as an added value for the individual but hardly as an added value to the school community and society; and 3) a role within teacher collaboration, showing little collaboration between teachers and HL teachers as HLE is not embedded in the school curricula.