Hebrew-Only Language Policy in Religious Education

Autor/in	Avni, Sharon
Titel	Hebrew-Only Language Policy in Religious Education
Quelle	In: Language Policy, 11 (2012) 2, S.169-188 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1568-4555
DOI	10.1007/s10993-011-9222-7
Schlagwörter	Semitic Languages; Language Planning; Jews; Day Schools; Educational Policy; Religious Education; Ethnography; Second Language Learning; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Ideology; Self Concept; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Language Usage; New York + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Arabisch; Hebräisch; Sprachwechsel; Jew; Jude; Jüdin; Juden; Day school; Halbtagsschule; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Kirchliche Erziehung; Religionserziehung; Religionspädagogik; Ethnografie; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Ideologie; Selbstkonzept; Schülerverhalten; Lehrerverhalten; Sprachgebrauch
Abstract	This article ethnographically analyzes the everyday negotiations of a language policy at a private religious educational institution whose explicit educative mission is the transmission of religious beliefs, values, and practices. Specifically, it explores a Hebrew-only language policy at a Jewish day school located in New York City, and focuses on two interrelated questions: (1) how do students and teachers enact and challenge the Hebrew-only policy in daily classroom practices; and (2) how does this policy become a cultural practice in the classroom, and to what effect? My analysis highlights the paradoxical nature of religious language policy in education. Specifically, it shows that the students and teachers widely embrace the Hebrew-only policy, agreeing that Hebrew language education is critical to the educative mission of instilling Jewish identity. However, in practice, the policy presents challenges to teachers and students due to varied Hebrew proficiency among students and their teachers, and the complex reality of teaching and learning a language that is not widely known or used in the community. This tension between ideology and enactment produces a unique set of cultural practices in the school that results in questionable language learning achievements, but that paradoxically reinforces the underlying goals of the policy: a reaffirmation and strengthening of the students' sense of religious identification. The article concludes with a discussion about the complexity of defining and implementing religious language educational policy. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10