Attitudes of preschool teachers about multilingualism

In this article, attitudes of preschool teachers and the relevance of these attitudes are examined in light of the multilingualism in everyday life in preschools. In models of professionalization, attitudes are regarded as a dimension which substantially impacts the thinking and actions of people and are therefore important in educational contexts. Beside attitudes, other factors from models of professionalization are examined for their relevance concerning dispositions and educational performance. For this purpose, a path model and a multilevel model are calculated based on data from 127 preschool teachers from 54 groups in 19 preschools in Germany. The findings reveal that attitudes are significant for educational practice. Furthermore, the knowledge of the preschool teachers about multilingualism as well as institutional conditions appear as independent factors. The results are summarized into a model and discussed with respect to the professionalization of preschool teachers.