Poem TXORIA TXORI

Hegoak ebaki banizkionnerea izango zen,

ez zuen aldegingo.Baina honela ez zen gehiago txoria izango

eta nik...txoria nuen maite.

THE BIRD WHO WAS A BIRDIf I had cut his wings

He would have been mine He would not have flown away

But then, he would have been a bird no longerAnd it was the bird what I loved

Mikel Laboa

Immigrant families’ involvement in their children education in

The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country

Nahia IntxaustiGoldsmiths University of London 2009

1. First questions to be answered

Where is the Basque Country? What is the Basque Country? What is the sociolinguistic context of the

Basque Country? What is the Basque education system like?

Where is the Basque Country?

What is the Basque Country?

Autonomous Community of the Basque Country

Autonomous Community of Navarra

Northern Basque Country

2.882.766 inhabitants Spanish and Basque are the two official languages of the

Autonomous Community of the Basque CountryOne area of the Autonomous Community of

Navarra Mayor legal restriction of the Basque language in

The Northern Basque Country (France) Most part of Autonomous Community of Navarra

Bilingual speakers 24,7 % Positive attitude towards Basque Basque is important in social identity construction

Sociolinguistic context of the Basque Country

Bilingual education: developed during the 60’s

Basque: official language in education

- 1982. Basque normalization law

- 1983. Decree of bilingualism

A, B and D teaching models

Education System in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country

Teaching models

Model A: In Spanish. Basque as a subject

Model B: Spanish and Basque

Model D: In Basque. Spanish as a subject

Not every model is offered in each school

Bilingual models increasing

Education System in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country

2. Immigration Foreign immigration

5,4 % in Basque Country (2008)11,3 % in Spain (2008)

Nationalities (2008): Half of them Latin AmericanRumanian (10,9%), Colombian (10,4%), Bolivian (10,1%), Moroccan (8,8%), Portuguese (7,5%), Ecuadorian (6,4%).

Educational context: 5,6 % Teaching model choices (07-08)

Students Immigrants families´ children

Model A: 20,24 %

Model B: 23,16 %

Model D: 55,98 %

Model A: 41,26 %

Model B: 29,14 %

Model D: 29,58 %

State schools: 53,38 % 74,36 %

Why choices are not going in the same direction?

Study Sample: 302 immigrant families

Whose children have enrolled Primary Schools in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country

From different countries of origin

Statistical criteria: Type of school Teaching model Rural/ urban area

Cuestionaire based on: Cualitative research (22 interviews with families)

Some questions…

1. How do they make their educational choices?

2. Do they keep their language of origin?

What strategies are mainly used by them?

3. What expectations do they have towards child’s level of language of origin?

1. Educational choices Reasons for school choice within families

51 % Proximity

39,1 % Somebody’s advice

35,1 % Educational Government allocation

28,8 % Language of school

28,5 % Family or compatriots attendance

7,9 % Type of school (state/private)

3,6 % Religious identity of the school

1. Educational choices Reasons for school choice within families

“Practical” reasons are important: i.e.proximity, advice

Importance of Schooling Committee

Language of the school is important (for families enrolled in model A/B)

The Social network influence

1. Educational choices Reasons for teaching model choice within

families63,2 % School offers only one model

35,8 % Learn Basque language

27,5 % Avoid problems with Basque language

19,5 % Attain Basque identity

14,9 % Have Schools chosen for them

11,3 % Advice

1. Educational choices Reasons for teaching model choice within

familiesMany of the families did not make a choiceLearn Basque language

No relation with originFamilies from model A/B

Avoid problems with Basque language 63 % families of Model A Families with Spanish as their mother tongue

Advices are less common

2. Language of origin

Its use 94,4 % speak their language of origin at

home 52,6 % speak their language of origin at

home and in the streets (%95,5 of them have Spanish as their mother tongue)

5,6 % stop using their language of origin

2. Language of origin

Its use Minority language as a mother tongue -C.O

61,3% continue using it at home 38,7% stop using it

Majority language as a mother tongue -C.O 98,15% continue using it at home 1,85% stop using it

TV use47 % continue watching chanels from their original country (more common in families where Spanish is not the mother tongue)

Music listening81,5 % continue to listen to music from their original country

Religious practices 58,3 % continue religious practices in their mother tongue (arabian speakers, rumanian speakers, spanish speakers..)

2. Language of origin

Literacy practices in their language of origin at homeReading

34,8 % of families read with their children

9,6 % of families whose language is a minority language in their original country

Writing 33,1 % do writing activities with their children

9,67 % of families whose language is a minority language in their country

2. Language of origin

Classes in their language of origin

Are offered only outside the school

7,65 % of children attend language classes

Only arabian classes are attended

2. Language of origin

Expectations for their children´s future knowledge of language of origin

36,1 % very high level33,4 % high level17,5 % medium level7,3 % low level5,6 % very low level

Families whose mother tongue is Spanish are more positive

Families whose mother tongue is a minority language are less positive

3. Expectations

In your opinion, could be any finding related to “language and power”?

Natives’ point of view

- If you were basque native, which model would you recommend them? (model A, B, D)

- Would be easier for natives to advise immigrants families if Basque language were normalized in Basque Country?

3. Some new questions...

3. Some new questions...

- Do sociolinguistic and educational problems in the Basque Country come along with immigrants?

- Their arrival remind us how much is still to be done regarding the Basque normalization and pedagogical strategies

In your opinion, could be any finding related to “language and power”?

Immigrants families’ point of view

- Why no-spanish families do not complain of learning in basque?

3. Some new questions...

Immigrants families’ point of view

- Why families from Latin American are more afraid of learning in basque?

- Why families from minority languages do not keep their original language as much as the others?

3. Some new questions...

Thank you!

Nahia Intxausti

University of the Basque Country - www.ehu.esEmail: nahia.intxausti@ehu.es

4. Programmes and resources

Department of Education

- Student programme: Basque immigration plan

- Multilingual guide: Basque Education System

- Schooling Commitees: avoid guetization

- Translation service

- An standarised form to register newcomer

- Training programmes

Department of Education- Advice on incorporation, treatment and monitoring

- Funding: language support classes in Spanish and Basque.

- Teachers claim more resources.

- Newcomers’ mother language: Portuguese programme

4. Programmes and resources

Other associations

- Meetings among different language

communities: information exchange

- Meetings to exchange activities to teach

newcomers Basque

- Informative leaflet published in some villages

4. Programmes and resources

Are challenges new?

- Tendency of cultural homogeneization

- Sociolinguistic problems of the Basque Country

5. New challenges?

Tendency of cultural homogeneization

Were our classrooms culturally diverse before?

Did not we have gypsies, catalans, galicians...

in our classrooms?

Did we take into account this cultural diversity?

5. New challenges?

Sociolinguistic situation

Which advise will be the best one?

Will be easier for us to advise if our language

were normalized in Basque Country?

Their arrival remind us how much is still to be done regarding the Basque normalization

5. New challenges?

We should not demand from them Basque

skills as we do not demand it from ourselves or

in our closest social context.

We should offer them what society at large has

on offer to anyone of us in order for them to

stop feeling like immigrants.

Conclusion

Respect for the process of normalisation: we

should keep them informed

Positive attitude towards Basque: we should be

friendly with them

Willingness to learn Basque

Referring to jobs?

Basque schools are willing to DEMAND from newcomers