Developing a rationale for teaching local languages to young language learners: a case study of teaching and learning Chinese language and culture in a Scottish primary school

This chapter advocates for innovations in the teaching of ‘local languages’—those already spoken in schools and their communities. This affords a number of potential benefits including: (1) inclusive language and cultural engagement for all children; (2) promoting the value of bilingualism; and (3) improved use of pedagogies that emphasise meaningful learning contexts. The impetus for change outlined stems from a study (Roxburgh, An analysis of the promotion of Chinese culture within an L3 language experience at the P5–7 stages in selected Scottish primary schools. Doctoral thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2021) on the teaching of Chinese language (references made throughout the chapter to Chinese relate to the use of the Mandarin dialect as the majority form taught in Scottish schools and the UK more widely) and culture in Scottish primary schools, where it was often presented as the language of an exotic place that pupils might one day experience for themselves. In contrast, the case study school presented in this chapter prioritised local contexts for the development of Chinese, stressing ‘here and now’ interactions that promoted positive perceptions about learning multilingually. This shift, from ‘foreign’ to ‘local languages’, aligns well with updated ecological models for language acquisition and with on-going calls to decolonise multilingualism. Initiatives, such as this, raise questions for those working in various educational contexts about the purpose of language learning, effective approaches, and sustainability, beyond the Chinese base presented here.