Summary of literature review

Why very different research fields were brought together in the literature review can be explained by the fact that for examining the complexity of the educational situation in Pápa, several disciplines had to be taken into consideration. Although, references are made about the relevance of related literature in the review, here, an explicit explanation of findings is provided, which shows the relation between the theoretical background and the empirical research in the second part of the dissertation.

As linguistic diversity is a key point both in the bilingual kindergarten programme and the everyday routine of the institution, linguistic terms like bilingualism, multilingualism and their relations, like code-switching or code-mixing had to be examined. It turned out that there are no matter-of-fact definitions for these phenomena, moreover, the descriptions also move on a very large scale (cf. 2.2). Among the interpretations offered in literature, Grosjean’s (1994) functional definition can be considered to be the starting point of the present situation (cf. 2.2.1.1). Additionally, it must not be forgotten that, even if there are two “official

74 languages” of the kindergarten, children live under multilingual circumstances which are widely dealt in literature about linguistics (cf. 2.2.1.3) and education (cf. 2.4.2).

The debate on early start cannot be left out from a literature review on early childhood language development (cf. 2.2.2.2), which still appears to be a timely question. At the same time, what happens in Pápa is not the question of choice: it has to be seen that it is the consequence of a political decision for which the kindergarten provides its language educational repertoire and language political tools. To do it deliberately, everybody who deals with the question has to know about the recent results of early childhood acquisition also by making a difference between language acquisition and language learning (cf. 2.2.3) and being familiar with the relevant theories in the field (cf. 2.2.2.1).

As children in Pápa do not only live in a pure linguistic but also in a socio-cultural community, the questions of culture, multiculturalism and the adjustment to different cultures (cf. 2.3) are also worth examining. The theoretical framework of Berry’s (2008) acculturation strategies (cf. 2.3.3) serve a basis for the empirical research where children’s different techniques of acculturation and accommodation will be observed.

The line of multilingual-multicultural education (cf. 2.4.2) at international level can be completed with the present kindergarten practice in Pápa. The classification of Fáy András Kindergarten cannot be imagined without knowing the different types of bilingual schools (cf.

2.4.1). Baker’s (2000) typology appears especially useful as children in Pápa do not belong to the same category. While children whose mother tongue is Hungarian or English may benefit from two way/ dual language education, children whose mother tongue is neither Hungarian/

English may face the challenges of submersion education; as it will be discussed in the empirical research sections (cf. Chapter 3).

As a fourth aspect, after linguistics, pedagogy and sociology, political and legal questions were also discussed. The reason is that in Pápa children’s status is not clearly defined and it is important to know what kinds of educational and linguistic rights migrant children can enjoy besides the general human rights (cf. 2.5.3). Categorisation in this case is unavoidable as it serves as a basis for determining their status in Hungary. Additionally, it also has administrative consequences, for instance, what kind of projects the kindergarten is eligible to apply for on behalf of the migrant children.

Although there is a reason to suppose that relevant literature was selected and related to the empirical research, gaps in literature can also be noticed. Gaps are referred to in the relevant chapters (cf. 2.4.3 or 2.5.1), yet it might be useful to take them into consideration as

75 the findings of literature review as well (Figure 18). One of the aims of this study is to identify and bridge these gaps on the basis of the present research.

Gaps identified Comments

The literature is one-dimensional The literature is very much divided into different sections according to the traditional disciplines. One phenomenon is usually seen from a single aspect excluding other points of view. Therefore, it lacks complexity and it does not promote cooperation between disciplines. An interdisciplinary approach is needed.

ambiguous Definitions are not always well-focused. Contradictions can be noticed in basic definitions like bilingualism, multilingualism or code-switching. Also, terms like

‘acquisition’ or ‘learning’ are sometimes blurred.

Tailor-made definitions and terms are recommended in the empirical research.

subjective Arguments are sometimes based on subjective attitudes instead of data-based research. For instance, the debate on early start does not lack emotional overtones.

The literature lacks the focus on kindergarten setting

Basically, very little can be found in literature about kindergarten setting. School education dominates literature on multicultural education. There should be clear distinction between children according to their age and their educational setting.

the focus on Hungarian setting

On the basis of literature, multilingual education does not seem to have a long tradition in Hungary. Although noteworthy initiatives can be observed in the theoretical field, multilingual-multicultural kindergarten setting in Hungary has not yet been in the limelight of language pedagogical research.

Figure 18. Gaps identified in literature

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3. RESEARCH