Papers by Anastasia Gkaintartzi
Project Promoting Plurilingual Education (PEP) -KA220-HED-E96C9232, 2025
This report, part of the PEP (Promoting Plurilingual Education) project, presents the
results of... more This report, part of the PEP (Promoting Plurilingual Education) project, presents the
results of an exploratory study on a non-statistical sample gathered on a voluntary
basis drawing on a survey about beliefs and practices of language teachers in second
ary and higher education concerning plurilingualism. Conducted across Europe, the
study aimed to:
1. Examine teachers' perceptions and self-reported practices related to plurilin
gual education.
2. Identify challenges and strategies for integrating plurilingual approaches in
teaching and assessment.
3. Provide recommendations for training and resources to support plurilingual ed
ucation.
2.1. Survey Highlights
● Participants: 800 educators from diverse European countries participated,
providing insights into their beliefs, classroom practices, and needs for imple
menting plurilingual approaches.
● Period of the survey: Data was collected online between May 28th and July 7th,
2024, using LimeSurvey.
● Design: The survey featured closed and open-ended questions, covering
themes such as European plurilingual policies, teacher beliefs, classroom prac
tices, and demographics.
● Data Analysis: Data treatment was conducted using SPSS software (version
29.0.2.0).
8
2.2. Key Findings
● Teachers emphasize the cultural and societal benefits of plurilingualism, includ
ing intercultural dialogue, linguistic diversity, and social inclusion.
● Classroom practices often incorporate multiple languages for fostering compre
hension, emotional engagement, and metalinguistic awareness.
● Plurilingual assessment practices remain limited, indicating a need for align
ment between teaching and evaluation.
● Teachers report significant challenges in the implementation of plurilingual
practices, including insufficient institutional support, resources, specific train
ing, and time.
2.3. Recommendations
● Design targeted in-service and pre-service professional development programs
focusing on plurilingual education.
● Enhance inter- and intra-institutional support and curricular frameworks to inte
grate plurilingual practices systematically.
● Promote policy alignment by valuing linguistic diversity and providing a coher
ent, open, and sustainable framework for implementing plurilingual practices
throughout the educational path.
Multilingualising' Language Education: A Teacher Training Programme for English as a 'Bridge Language' in Early Childhood Education
Journal of education and training, Jan 18, 2024
Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2024
This paper presents an action research which aimed at exploring the implementation of multilingua... more This paper presents an action research which aimed at exploring the implementation of multilingual storytelling with the use of dual language picture books among young learners in a preschool class in order to promote critical multilingual awareness (García, 2017) and intercultural competence for fostering diversity, social equity and linguistic justice (Piller, 2021). Throughout the four research cycles of the action research, the children were actively engaged with multilingual books and plurilingual activities, including and voicing minoritised and 'invisibilised' languages in class, thus opening a 'window' to the rich linguistic diversity in society beyond the languages validated in school education. The research data was collected through the use of multiple and multimodal research tools which included observation, group discussions with the children, interviews with parents while also, drawing from an arts-based visual methodology, students' language portraits, concept maps and Dominant Language Constellations (DLCs) (Aronin, 2019). After presenting parts of the action research cycles, we discuss the research findings, with a focus on the children's DLC models, visualizing their perceptions, feelings and lived experiences with multilingualism through their active engagement with the multilingual books and activities. Implications of the findings are discussed for the multiple potentialities of dual language books in striving for a more inclusive and emancipatory language education, which can develop critical multilingual awareness and promote linguistic justice.
Augmented Reality as an Innovative Tool for the Training of Bilingual Education Teachers in Primary Schools
Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education
Children know a language when they associate words with images and sounds—this facilitates the as... more Children know a language when they associate words with images and sounds—this facilitates the assimilation of knowledge. This research uses applications based on augmented reality, which are designed to help teachers who want to teach another language, particularly English. The set of useful terms for the student to learn is defined in various categories such as animals, colors, and things. These terms are stored in a database with different formats such as text, 3D image, audio, and video which are associated with items that contain, in turn, a vocabulary which represents abstract entities, which are necessary to complement the learning of a language. The words are associated with the images and with the corresponding audio so that the students learn to read, write, listen, and, consequently, pronounce the words correctly. This research is projected as an innovative technological support that helps primary school teachers in the process of teaching the English language, and it is ...
Understanding the “Voices” of Children of Immigrant and Refugee Backgrounds
The International Journal of Diversity in Education, 2020
This paper presents a series of narratives on multilingualism and education based on data collect... more This paper presents a series of narratives on multilingualism and education based on data collected from five case studies that were conducted throughout the 2017 fall semester of the postgraduate program “Language Education for Refugees and Migrants” (LRM), offered by the Hellenic Open University. Each case study narrates the story of a child with a refugee or migrant background living in Greece. The main aim of the paper is to map the sociolinguistic profiles of the children by combining data collected using semi-structured interviews with the analysis of their identity texts. Both the sociolinguistic profiles and the identity texts “give voice” and articulate the children’s needs and thoughts and are used as a way to shed light to issues of multilingualism in education and to discuss conclusions for language teaching in diverse learning environments. The paper subsequently draws implications about language teaching in inclusive and multilingual learning contexts.
Issues of bilingualism in pre-school and early primary school children: social and educational dimensions
The present dissertation aims at investigating the language views and practices of children of Al... more The present dissertation aims at investigating the language views and practices of children of Albanian immigrant background as well as their teachers’ and parents’ through a sample of 19 students who attend primary school and kindergarten. The overarching aim of the ethnographic study is the investigation of the language ideologies, in the context of which children perceive and enact their bilingualism through the analysis of their own, their parents’ and their teachers’ discourse on bilingualism. The research examines its questions through the investigation of the three perspectives –the children’s, their parents’ and teachers’- with an ultimate focus on the bilingual children’s perspectives, as they are shaped under the influence of the home and school context. Selecting a qualitative interpretive methodology to study the research questions, we used the ethnographic methods of participant observation within the school context, informal interviews with the participants in the fiel...
Is translanguaging a possibility in a language class?
Interdisciplinary Research Approaches to Multilingual Education, 2018
Interviewing as Understanding: Principles and Modalities for Transforming a Qualitative Research Instrument into a Stage of the Integration Process for Immigrants
This chapter reports on a qualitative research within the MATH.E.ME. project undertaken by the Gr... more This chapter reports on a qualitative research within the MATH.E.ME. project undertaken by the GreekLangLab of the University of Thessaly, aiming at providing lessons in Greek Language, History and Culture for immigrants who are unemployed, mothers, with disabilities and illiterate immigrants. An initial stage of this project was the investigation of the needs of immigrants as learners in the perspective of their empowerment and integration. The semi-structured interview was transformed into a critical instrument to understanding people. This transformation is only possible by adopting a new way (cf. Kaufmann, L’entretien comprehensif. Armand Colin, Paris, 2000, 39 seq.) of constructing the research questions and other interview parameters, such as the plan, the guide and the sample; it is with an open and evolving way of designing the interview. In conducting the interview, focus on understanding means breaking the hierarchy between researchers and participants, keeping people pres...
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2020
This article presents a case study, conducted in the Greek educational context, as part of the Eu... more This article presents a case study, conducted in the Greek educational context, as part of the European collaborative project, called "ISOTIS", funded by the European Union, including 17 partners and 11 countries. The main aim of the case study was the support of students' first languages and cultures through home-based and classroom-based activities, family involvement and the professionalization of teachers using ICT environments in early childhood education. In this paper, we particularly focus on aspects of home-school partnership, as promoted through the support of children's heritage languages and cultures, drawing from the perspectives of the parents, teachers, and professionals, who participated in qualitative, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The research findings show that homeschool partnership was fostered through the inclusion and support of the children's languages and cultures, the affirmation of their identities and the empowerment of their 'voices' and capitals. Last, they highlight that family involvement has a multiple impact not only for bi/multilingual families and their children, but also for teachers and all parts involved, shown to be benefited in a multidimensional way.
The Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants / L’intégration linguistique des migrants adultes, Jan 20, 2017
Thisp aper reports on twon ationwide projects implemented in Greece aiming at providing courses i... more Thisp aper reports on twon ationwide projects implemented in Greece aiming at providing courses in Greek as asecond languagefor adultimmigrants. Aqualitativeapproach was adopted using interviews, focus groups,ethnographic observation, and written reports. Based on aprior stageofneeds analysis,we designed specialized courses using the research stages as am eans of empowering immigrants. We discuss our most importantr esults concerning the needs analysis and the implementation of the task-based approach. Résumé : L'article fait référence àd eux projets de portée nationale menés en Grècee nv ue de proposer des cours de grec langue seconde auxm igrants adultes. L'approche qualitative retenue ar eposé sur des entretiens, des groupes de discussion, une observation ethnographique et des rapports écrits. Après avoir analysél es besoins, nous avons élaboré des cours spécialisés utilisant les étapes de recherche pour faire participer les migrants. Nous examinons nos principaux résultats concernant l'analyse des besoins et la mise en oeuvre d'une approche par les tâches. 1I ntroduction: the projects' identity This paper reports on twon ationwide research projects (ELMEGO and MATH-EME) implemented by the Greek Languagea nd
Διεθνές Συνέδριο για την Ανοικτή & εξ Αποστάσεως Εκπαίδευση, Dec 21, 2017
This paper reports on the good practices followed by the tutors of HOU new Master's Programme, en... more This paper reports on the good practices followed by the tutors of HOU new Master's Programme, entitled "Language Education for Refugees and Migrants" (LRM). After presenting the profile and rationale of LRM, we focus on the online Tutor-Students Sessions (TSSs) and present the tutors' practices before, during and after the programmed TSSs, as well as their practices to support the development of the students' academic literacy. The data is drawn from 10 interviews, ie 8 with LRM tutors, 1 with one module coordinator and 1 with one member of the Digital Course Development Team (DCDT). The findings provide a comprehensive view on the varied practices, techniques and tools used by tutors in dealing with the TSSs as well as in helping students develop academic skills. New insights can thus be gained into the different ways tutors can respond to their students' needs concerning TSSs and the enhancement of the http://epublishing.ekt.gr | e
Language Learning in Higher Education, 2019
This paper explores the language views and practices of postgraduate student-teachers attending a... more This paper explores the language views and practices of postgraduate student-teachers attending a distance-learning Master’s Programme of a Greek University, entitled “Language Education for Refugees and Migrants” (LRM). Teachers and professionals working with language learners in linguistically diverse contexts make up an interesting research sample in order to explore their perceptions and practices concerning bi/multilingualism and language learning. The study was conducted through an open-ended questionnaire, delivered and completed electronically by the student-teachers of two modules of the Programme (LRM 53: Language teaching for adult refugees and migrants and LRM54: Language teaching for children with refugee and migrant background) and included open-ended questions regarding their profile, their perceptions towards bi/multilingualism and translanguaging, language use in the school context, the first language and its relation to second language learning. Taking into account...
Διάλογοι! Θεωρία και πράξη στις επιστήμες αγωγής και εκπαίδευσης, 2018
Στo παρόν άρθρο επιχειρείται μέσα από την παρουσίαση της εθνογραφικής έρευνας: «Ζητήματα διγλωσσί... more Στo παρόν άρθρο επιχειρείται μέσα από την παρουσίαση της εθνογραφικής έρευνας: «Ζητήματα διγλωσσίας σε παιδιά προσχολικής και σχολικής ηλικίας: Κοινωνικές και εκπαιδευτικές διαστάσεις» (Γκαϊνταρτζή, 2012) η συζήτηση μεθοδολογικών ζητημάτων και η επανεξέταση των ερευνητικών της δεδομένων υπό το πρίσμα μεταγενέστερων ερευνών. Το άρθρο εστιάζει στο ζήτημα της σχέσης της ερευνήτριας με τους/τις συμμετέχοντες/ουσες, της εμπλοκής της στο πεδίο της έρευνας και της υποκειμενικότητάς της, έτσι όπως προσεγγίστηκε στην εθνογραφική έρευνα της διδακτορικής διατριβής. Ακολουθεί η επανεξέταση και κριτική συζήτηση των ερευνητικών της δεδομένων, τα οποία αφορούν τις γλωσσικές αντιλήψεις εκπαιδευτικών, δίγλωσσων μαθητών/τριών και γονέων μεταναστευτικής καταγωγής, ενόψει μεταγενέστερων ερευνητικών δεδομένων.
Parents-Schools’ Communication and Albanian as a Heritage Language in Greece
Springer International Handbooks of Education, 2016
The purpose of this chapter is to provide, in the first part, an overview of research data concer... more The purpose of this chapter is to provide, in the first part, an overview of research data concerning immigrant parents-school communication in the Greek context. The focus is on Albanians as they constitute the largest immigrant group in Greece. We present data from a study which included focus-groups and group interviews with parents in order to investigate the communicative and language needs of Albanian parents with regard to their communication with the schools attended by their children. The issue of parents-school communication was also approached through the teachers’ perspectives. In the second part, we present a review of Greek sociolinguistic studies relevant to the issue of Albanian as a heritage language. We draw on the issues that the field has been dealing with and on the recent research trends. Specifically, we discuss (a) Greek educational policies regarding heritage languages and (b) attitudes and practices of parents, students, and teachers concerning the use, teaching and learning of Albanian. We present data and findings of a set of qualitative and quantitative large or smallscale studies conducted in Greece during the last decade (2009–2016). The chapter will conclude with some suggestions for future directions in research and practice.
Cogent Education, 2016
This paper presents data from two studies-a nationwide quantitative research and an ethnographic ... more This paper presents data from two studies-a nationwide quantitative research and an ethnographic study-on immigrant parents' perspectives about heritage language maintenance and education in Greek state schools. The quantitative data come from a large-scale questionnaire survey, which aimed at the investigation of the needs and requirements for the implementation of a pilot programme teaching immigrant languages in Greek state schools. The findings regarding immigrant parents' perspectives provide an updated, comprehensive view on how they perceive and respond to the issue of the support and teaching of their heritage languages within the Greek context. Complementing and enhancing those findings, the qualitative data from the ethnographic study, through the analysis of immigrant parents' semi-structured interviews, provides important insights into aspects of the parents' complex sociolinguistic reality, thus offering an in-depth understanding and interpretation of their language views.
Proceedings of the 2nd Crossroads of Languages and Cultures: Greek-Albanian Contact
Le bilinguisme se developpe en Grece: resultats de recherches et pratiques prescolaires alternatives du groupe 'Polydromo
5. Le bilinguisme se développe en Grèce : résultats de recherches et pratiques préscolaires alternatives du groupe « Polydromo »
Développement du langage et plurilinguisme chez le jeune enfant, 2013
Albanian Parents and the Greek Educational Context: Who is Willing to Fight for the Home Language?
International Multilingual Research Journal, 2014
ABSTRACT
Journal of Pragmatics, 2011
''She is a very good child but she doesn't speak'': The invisibility of children's bilingualism a... more ''She is a very good child but she doesn't speak'': The invisibility of children's bilingualism and teacher ideology
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Papers by Anastasia Gkaintartzi
results of an exploratory study on a non-statistical sample gathered on a voluntary
basis drawing on a survey about beliefs and practices of language teachers in second
ary and higher education concerning plurilingualism. Conducted across Europe, the
study aimed to:
1. Examine teachers' perceptions and self-reported practices related to plurilin
gual education.
2. Identify challenges and strategies for integrating plurilingual approaches in
teaching and assessment.
3. Provide recommendations for training and resources to support plurilingual ed
ucation.
2.1. Survey Highlights
● Participants: 800 educators from diverse European countries participated,
providing insights into their beliefs, classroom practices, and needs for imple
menting plurilingual approaches.
● Period of the survey: Data was collected online between May 28th and July 7th,
2024, using LimeSurvey.
● Design: The survey featured closed and open-ended questions, covering
themes such as European plurilingual policies, teacher beliefs, classroom prac
tices, and demographics.
● Data Analysis: Data treatment was conducted using SPSS software (version
29.0.2.0).
8
2.2. Key Findings
● Teachers emphasize the cultural and societal benefits of plurilingualism, includ
ing intercultural dialogue, linguistic diversity, and social inclusion.
● Classroom practices often incorporate multiple languages for fostering compre
hension, emotional engagement, and metalinguistic awareness.
● Plurilingual assessment practices remain limited, indicating a need for align
ment between teaching and evaluation.
● Teachers report significant challenges in the implementation of plurilingual
practices, including insufficient institutional support, resources, specific train
ing, and time.
2.3. Recommendations
● Design targeted in-service and pre-service professional development programs
focusing on plurilingual education.
● Enhance inter- and intra-institutional support and curricular frameworks to inte
grate plurilingual practices systematically.
● Promote policy alignment by valuing linguistic diversity and providing a coher
ent, open, and sustainable framework for implementing plurilingual practices
throughout the educational path.