Abstract

High quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) is essential for all
children to reach their potential in the development of their language abilities,
and robust Oral Language (OL) provision is a core element of that (Reilly &
McKean, 2023). But perceptions of what constitutes rich OL provision in ECEC
and their implementation vary both due to diverse conceptualisations of OL and
how these are enacted in a multilingual context. Lebanon is host to people with
different religions, cultures, dialects, and languages. Arabic is the official
language, but Arabic use is diglossic and French and/or English are taught in
most schools from kindergarten. If ECEC is to prepare the currently highly
vulnerable population for a better future, then any policy, service or practice
initiatives to enable this must be contextually informed if they are to be
successful and sustainable (OECD, 2011).
Situated within the Bulbul research program this in-depth qualitative case study
conducted semi-structured interviews or focus groups with fifty-eight
participants representing key agents in ECEC policy, services and practice across
Lebanon (N = Government Ministries-8; Initial Teacher Training-7; Public and
Private Schools and Nurseries-25; NGO providers and policy-9; Speech and
Language Therapists-3; Paediatricians-2; and Parents-2) around the provision of
high quality ECEC and the role of OL within that. Results from thematic analysis
(Braun & Clarke, 2021) suggest that language policy and planning in such a
context need not only consider the ingredients of a rich oral language (OL)
environment, but how to factor in widely different home language experiences,
parental expectations and perception and practice around multilingualism.
Drawing on Hornberger’s (2006) integrative language policy and planning
framework, we identify the importance of developing such a framework in
Lebanon in a manner which both values home language(s) and prepares children
for their educational journey, where foreign languages are key.