Application research project
Project promoter: dr. Susanna Pertot
Project performer: SLORI – Slovene research institute
Project implementation period: 2002 – 2004
The project aims at defining the presence or the absence of some dynamics in the kindergartens, promoting children’s linguistic development, and further on classify them; according to the information, collected by analyzing children in kindergarten, the connection between relationships and dynamics created between children in kindergarten and the process of language acquisition will be studied and analyzed. The project has been integrated with an action work, based on the cooperation between parents and the kindergarten as far as the learning and the use of the Slovene language are concerned; 25 workshops to form parents and educators were set out on the whole Italian territory, where Slovenes live.
The results of the research were presented on several symposiums, as for instance in Wales, Vienna, Florence and London, and in many specialized magazines (Pertot S. Dvojezični otroci v vrtcu med teorijo in zamejsko prakso – The bilingual child in kindergarten between theory and practice, Educa – Nova Gorica; Slovene kindergartens in Italy: an observational study of Slovene language acquisition in pre-school children, Trans, Internet-Z. Kult.wiss.; An observational study of Slovene language acquisition in pre-school children attending Slovene kindergartens in Italy, V: VII International infant observation conference: Esther Bick’s method; Vloga staršev pri jezikovnem razvoju dvojezičnega otroka v slovenskem vrtcu v Italiji – Parental role in language development of bilingual child in Slovene kindergarten in Italy, Glas. ZRS Koper).
In 2004 three books were published. The first two, “Otroci in starši na poti do slovenščine” – Children and parents towards the Slovene language and “Jezikovna vzgoja v vrtcu: vidiki vzgojiteljic” – The linguistic education in kindergarten: aspects of the educators, are scientific publications, meant for educators and pedagogues, dealing with early bilingual speakers and their families. While the publication “Dvojezični otrok / Il bambino bilingue” – The bilingual child, is a handbook for parents; it was prepared on the basis of issues and matters, discussed on meetings with parents of the children, attending kindergartens with Slovene as teaching language in the territory of Trieste and in the bilingual kindergarten of San Pietro al Natisone.
The research project was co-financed by the Ministry of education, science and sports of the Republic of Slovenia.