sh.sePublications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • harvard-anglia-ruskin-university
  • apa-old-doi-prefix.csl
  • sodertorns-hogskola-harvard.csl
  • sodertorns-hogskola-oxford.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Structural constraints and agentive responses: comparing two systems of Greek heritage language education in Sweden
Uppsala University, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0444-2207
Södertörn University, School of Culture and Education, Swedish Language.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9383-3279
Stockholm University, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8631-2173
2025 (English)In: International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, ISSN 1367-0050, E-ISSN 1747-7522, Vol. 28, no 7, p. 883-900Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This study investigates two distinct ways of organising heritage language education within one national context. More specifically, we investigate the teaching of Greek in Sweden through: (a) mother tongue instruction provided by the national education system and (b) a complementary school run by a parental organisation. Drawing on Archer's morphogenetic approach (1995), where structure, culture and agency are seen as separate but interrelated analytical layers, we investigate key actors' agentive responses to structural and cultural enablements and constraints. The study includes a historical overview and a linguistic ethnography conducted in both contexts. The data encompass policy documents, classroom observations and interviews with teachers, board members, parents and students. The findings show that the educational contexts have different legal statuses and are governed at different policy levels (national vs. transnational), while sharing many structural constraints at the level of praxis, such as being based on voluntary participation, limited instruction time and inconvenient scheduling. However, the key actors navigate the constraints of each setting in different ways, thus pointing to distinctive differences between them. Ultimately, the study shows how both educational systems complement each other and serve important roles in supporting the maintenance and development of heritage language and culture in Sweden.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2025. Vol. 28, no 7, p. 883-900
Keywords [en]
Heritage language education, mother tongue instruction, complementary schools, Greek diaspora, structure and agency
National Category
Educational Sciences Languages and Literature
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-57893DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2025.2527800ISI: 001526069300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105010521769OAI: oai:DiVA.org:sh-57893DiVA, id: diva2:1990159
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2022-03542Available from: 2025-08-19 Created: 2025-08-19 Last updated: 2025-10-07Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Nikolaidou, Zoe

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Ganuza, NataliaNikolaidou, ZoeRydell, Maria
By organisation
Swedish Language
In the same journal
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
Educational SciencesLanguages and Literature

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 50 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • harvard-anglia-ruskin-university
  • apa-old-doi-prefix.csl
  • sodertorns-hogskola-harvard.csl
  • sodertorns-hogskola-oxford.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf