"Everything I do here is about Lithuania" - a comparative study of Lithuanian heritage language schools in Norway
ENWith about one third of Lithuania’s population residing abroad, Lithuania’s diaspora community is incredibly relevant to the country. The global Lithuanian community plays an important role in Lithuania’s national politics, and emigration continues to transform Lithuanian society. The preservation of Lithuanian language and cultural identity can help strengthen the global Lithuanian community’s connection to Lithuania. Lithuanian heritage education abroad serves as a key instrument in facilitating such a connection, allowing children with a Lithuanian background to develop Lithuanian language skills and Lithuanian cultural identity. While current literature addresses heritage education generally and there are some studies that address Lithuania’s situation, there is still limited in-depth research on the effectiveness of Lithuanian as heritage language education for children living abroad, including Norway. This thesis looks at one of the most popular language curriculums used in Lithuanian global communities: the Lithuanian heritage language (hereafter LHL) schools. The thesis compares three LHL schools in Norway to assess the different perceptions and challenges surrounding the development of the LHL education. The thesis uses original interviews to assess the perspectives of teachers and parents of students in LHL schools, as well as a qualitative analysis of the Lithuanian government’s Integrated Program policy document to analyze the perspectives of the Lithuanian government and educational authorities. This program is the first attempt to standardize the curriculum for LHL education abroad and provide the advisory heritage language learning practices for LHL schools.The interviews and qualitative analysis of policy documents reveal differences in how these stakeholders understand LHL schools and contradicting strategies for the future development of the LHL curriculum. This thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the LHL school phenomenon by analyzing these divergent views of the parents and the teachers of heritage language learners as well as Lithuanian authorities. A unified understanding of LHL schools and goals can support the development of a more effective LHL education in Norway, as well as shed light on meaningful ways to preserve a heritage language and cultural identity abroad generally.
