EduLiM

The EduLiM project (Educational Transitions in the Context of Linguistic Minoritization) examines how language and processes of linguistic minoritization affect children and families as they move from preschool to primary school. Focusing on South Tyrol, a region marked by a rich history of multilingualism and migration, the project seeks to generate theoretical insights and practical guidance for educators, researchers, and decision-makers. 

Theoretical background

EduLiM applies an interdisciplinary theoretical lens, drawing from educational science, sociolinguistics, and anthropology. Educational transitions are framed not as singular events but as ongoing, multifaceted processes, shaped by interactions among children, families, and institutions. The project addresses transitions as moments of continuity and change, socially co-constructed by these multiple actors.Central to the theoretic al approach is the concept of minoritization, which views minority status as a dynamic, socially constructed process shaped by power relations. The project further engages with critical and post-structuralist sociolinguistics (e.g., Heller, 2007), understanding language as set of fluid resources distributed unequally across networks and spaces, and to which socially constructed meanings and values are attached. Thus, language ideologies play a pivotal role in inclusion and exclusion within educational spaces.

Aims and research questions

The project investigates educational transitions through three main perspectives: a child-centered perspective, focusing on children’s multilingual and school-based language practices; an institutional perspective, examining how teachers guide transitions and implement school policies; and a family perspective, exploring how families—especially those who are linguistically minoritized—navigate and experience the transition process, taking into account their diverse linguistic backgrounds.

The project addresses the following overarching research questions:

• RQ1: Which transitional practices can be observed in preschool-school-transitions in South Tyrol?
• RQ2: How is language made salient in these practices by different actors (teachers, children, parents and other actors in school and family)?
• RQ3: How are transitional practices in the school and in families informed by normative framings and ideologies about language and education?
  
  

These are explored through two subprojects.

Subproject A: Educational transitions in primary school

• RQ 1.A: Which transitional practices can be observed in German-language primary schools?
• RQ 2.A: How is language made salient in these practices throughout the transition process?
• RQ 3.A: How are transitional practices in the primary school informed by normative framings and ideologies about language and education?
  
  

Subproject B: Educational transitions in the family

• RQ 1.B: Which transitional practices can be observed in families with a child that transition out from a German-language preschool and/or into a German-language primary school?
• RQ 2.B: How is language made salient in these practices throughout the transition process?
• RQ 3.B: How are transitional practices in the family informed by normative framings and ideologies about language and education?
  
  

By answering these research questions, EduLiM strives to contribute to:

• Theory-building on linguistic minoritization in educational transitions and in education more generally;
• Methodological and research-ethical discussions on multilingualism in the collection and analysis of data;
• Language education policy and pedagogical professionalization in line with current socio-political challenges;
• Continuing theory-practice cooperation with all relevant stakeholders in South Tyrol.
  
  ​​​​​​​Methodology

EduLiM utilises a multi-sited ethnographic research design. The main field sites are:

• ​​​​​​​Site A: German-language primary schools in a linguistically diverse setting (e.g., Bolzano/Bozen or Egna/Neumarkt), where research includes classroom observations, parent-teacher conferences, and interviews with teachers, students, and families.
• Site B: Families whose children are transitioning from preschool to primary school. Methods involve participant observation, interviews, and creative participatory activities (such as language portraits and self-recorded family interactions).
  
  

The methodology consists of:

• Participant observation in school and family settings, accompanied by detailed fieldnotes and audio documentation.
• Qualitative interviews with children, parents, teachers, and staff.
• Participatory analysis workshops, engaging stakeholders to reflect on and validate findings.
  
  

The research design incorporates reflexivity, considering researcher positionality, linguistic resources, and the ethical complexities of working within multilingual contexts. The project promotes inclusivity and is responsive to the evolving and context-specific dimensions of gender and ethics throughout its research and collaboration with stakeholders. Importantly, EduLiM foregrounds ethical reflexivity, treating consent not as a single ‘tick off’ moment but as a sustained, ongoing process throughout the research. Ongoing informed consent is upheld alongside GDPR compliance, with particular sensitivity to migration-related power dynamics and the participant representation. Furthermore, the research explicitly addresses gender as a dimension of educational experience, acknowledging the gendered landscape of teaching and actively questioning binary conceptions.