Language teacher identity and language acquisition in a South Saami preschool - narrative inquiry

Oct 15, 2026

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Explores language teacher identity (LTI) among three South Saami preschool teachers, focusing on how they act as linguistic role models through their own descriptions of language learning and reflections on language acquisition. Narrative inquiry and thematic analysis draw on three interviews with in-service preschool teachers and are guided by LTI literature and the researcher’s prior experience. Findings show how teachers assume leading roles in South Saami language revitalisation and manage responsibilities. Discusses narratives as learning processes and highlights Indigenous academic collaboration for new insights.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background – context of the study

The languages of Saepmie

Decolonisation, assimilation and revitalisation

Language use in the south of Saepmie

Reflexivity and researcher’s positioning

Language teacher identity and language acquisition in a South Saami preschool: A narrative inquiry David Kroik Department of Language Studies, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden, email [david.kroik@umu.se](david.kroik@umu.se) Faculty of Education and Arts, Nord University, PO Box 93, NO-7601, Levanger, Norway This paper explores language teacher identity (LTI) among three preschool teachers. The focus lies on the preschool teachers’ identities as linguistic role models by means of analysing their own descriptions of language learning, that is, their personal experiences of and reflections on language acquisition. Three interviews were made with different in-service preschool teachers. The interviews were analysed by means of narrative inquiry and thematic analysis and guided by literature on LTI, as well as the researcher’s previous experience and knowledge of the current field. The findings illustrate how the teachers assumed a leading position in the South Saami language revitalisation project and cope with the responsibility tied to that position. The discussion of the narratives revolves around language teaching and learning made salient in the narrative process. The study provides a hopeful view of language revitalisation by showcasing that it is not only the expected first-language native speakers that are driving forces in the process of restoring a broken chain of intergenerational language transmission. It further illustrates a way for an Indigenous academic to investigate settings within their own community and collaborate with other stakeholders in a language revitalisation project to generate new insights on language revitalisation. Keywords: Indigenous language teachers, narratives, Saami language, Saami preschool teachers, narrative inquiry, language acquisition Introduction The current study focuses on spaces for language revitalisation, particularly linguistic role models in the form of preschool teachers. The importance of preschool teachers in spaces for early education, which are referred to in the literature as, e.g., language nests or preschools, cannot be overestimated (Todal, 2018) . It is therefore of considerable importance to explore this role to understand the nature of the profession in projects with high stakes, such as the revitalisation of the South Saami language in a preschool context. The purpose of the study is thus to explore how Saami preschool teachers construct their language teacher identity (LTI) and what was important in that the process. These three questions are predominant: What experiences from their lives form their identity as teachers? What motivates them to learn and teach South Saami? How do they describe their role and the role of their preschool? Research in the area is scarce. The study is novel by focusing on preschool teachers’ experiences of language acquisition in the southern Saami area of Saepmie. There are studies focusing on Saami identity in this region, but, to the best of my knowledge, the use of the LTI concept has not been applied to explore these issues. Background – context of the study The languages of Saepmie The Saami languages form a continuum of varieties spoken in the areas of Nordland, Trøndelag and Hedmark counties in the south of Saepmie and neighbouring areas in Sweden, to the Kola peninsula in Russia. South Saami is smaller in terms of the total number of speakers and language domains compared to North Saami. The language is on par with Lule and Inari Saami. The different Saami languages are generally not mutually intelligible, and speakers of different Saami languages resort to other shared languages for communication with each other. See Sammalahti (1998) for a closer description of these languages. Decolonisation, assimilation and revitalisation After centuries of colonisation in all of Saepmie and decades of heavy assimilatory policies—referred to in the country specific context as Norwegianisation (Minde, 2005)—S

FAQs

What does the study investigate about South Saami preschool teachers?

It investigates how Saami preschool teachers construct their language teacher identity by examining their experiences and reflections on language acquisition.

How was the empirical material collected and analysed?

Three interviews were conducted with in-service preschool teachers. The interviews were analysed using narrative inquiry and thematic analysis.

What roles do the teachers take in the South Saami language revitalisation project?

The findings illustrate that the teachers assume leading positions in the revitalisation project and cope with responsibilities connected to that role.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz