Home Literacy Environment and Family Language Policy of Preschool Language Minority Children in Luxembourg

This project aims to explore home literacy environment (HLE) and family language policy (FLP) of language minority preschool children in Luxembourg. These aims were explored through four phases. In the first phase we investigated language resources and activities of children in their families. To achieve this aim, we administered the questionnaires on home literacy environment to the parents with migrant backgrounds from five highest migrant municipalities in Luxembourg. In the second phase, through the interviews with the interested parents from the first phase, we explored family language policy: how parents and children learn, manage and negotiate different languages at home. In the third phase, we tested early literacy and numeracy of preschool language minority children, in their home languages and Luxembourgish, at school. In the fourth phase, we asked the teachers of the participating schools to answer three questions on the challenges and opportunities while working with language minority children and the needs they have to improve their work. This study, the first of its kind in Luxembourg, is extremely important for understanding linguistic state-of-the-art of language minority children in their families. Luxembourg is falling behind the OECD mean in reading (ranked 32nd in 2015), where Portuguese children are being particularly vulnerable. Early literacy skills are critical for children’s later academic achievement. A wealth of research showed that children’s home language should not be abandoned as it is crucial for promoting dynamic multilingualism and assuring cross-linguistic transfer. This study aims to reveal valuable information about home literacy practices and policies of families with language minority preschool children. Based on this information we can strengthen the collaboration with schools regarding children’s multilingual processing and academic achievement.