Choice of language-of-instruction among Russian-speaking families in Estonia

The purpose of this research project was to investigate factors associated with parental choice of language-of-instruction. The research project was a case study of Russian-speaking families in Estonia and occurred in three Estonian towns, Tallinn, Tartu, and Narva. Three different types of language programs were investigated: Russian schools, or education in the child's first language, Estonian schools, or education in the child's second language, and bilingual schools. Literature on choice of language-of-instruction is scarce and second language acquisition with sociocultural and sociolinguistic aspects was used to provide understanding of the process. Sociological literature was used in setting the discussion into the political, demographic and social context. School choice literature was explored to incorporate factors related to making school choices, such as the influence of socioeconomics.; The genre of this dissertation is new in the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations. The results of the research project were written as three separate submissable journal articles: a qualitative, a theoretical, and a quantitative article. The qualitative study was exploratory in nature and was based on semi-structured interviews among 15 families. The theoretical article integrated literature and findings of the qualitative study. The theoretical article presents an interdisciplinary contextual model of some factors that may be associated with choice of language-of-instruction. The qualitative study was based on a survey of 346 respondents. This study tested some of the factors suggested in literature and the qualitative study.; The qualitative study identified different parental language and culture orientation categories. These categories had an association with choice of language-of-instruction. The data analysis of the quantitative study supported this finding. Another important finding was the perceived importance of the first language in children's education. The choice of language-of-instruction also implies a school choice for Russian-speaking parents. They have to consider curricular and school atmosphere differences when making choices. Modeling of investigated factors in the quantitative analysis suggested that parents' second language proficiency, perceived importance of Russian culture maintenance, ethnicity, and valuing the second language are the most significant factors in the choice of language-of-instruction. These factors should be a part of discussion in language-of-education planning.