7 in 10 teachers in Flanders' Rand feel powerless against multilingualism in class

Teachers in Flanders' Rand region increasingly feel powerless to manage the growing multilingualism in their classrooms, a new study reveals. Research by VUB journalism master's students found that 70 percent of educators feel unprepared for the current classroom environment, with many schools urgently seeking more support.

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Children learn less from each other. They have limited vocabulary and poor grammar. They adopt each other's mistakes.

The study surveyed 85 education professionals in Vilvoorde, Zaventem, Grimbergen, and Diegem. In over half the classes observed, more than 75 percent of students do not speak Dutch at home, with French, Turkish, and Arabic being the dominant languages. While 65 percent of teachers acknowledge that a student's home language can contribute to their well-being, they lack the pedagogical tools to leverage this.

Teachers report a significant increase in multilingualism over recent years, with French being the most common home language, followed by Arabic and then Dutch and Turkish. They observe that the Dutch-speaking peer group is diminishing, hindering natural language acquisition. This has led to increased workload, with teachers acting as translators and confidants, and 70 percent losing motivation to engage with multilingualism.

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They often feel insufficiently prepared by their training for the multilingual reality, and sometimes they lack concrete pedagogical tools to deal with that super-diversity.

Frustration is growing among school principals regarding the gap between political rhetoric and financial reality. Education Minister Zuhal Demir emphasizes stricter language tests and 'language hero classes' to reduce language deficits. However, researchers and teachers argue that an overemphasis on Dutch as the sole solution, without acknowledging home languages, can be counterproductive to student well-being and learning outcomes.

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The policy places an extreme emphasis on Dutch as the only solution, like the language immersion program. But scientific research shows, and this is confirmed in practice, that ignoring the home language can be counterproductive for students' well-being and their learning performance.