The language of instruction at primary school, ethnic involvement and national identity: the Estonian example

Abstract

In Estonia, as in many other countries, primary and secondary education institutions are charged with the task of helping to shape the ethnic and national identity of their students ( O’Donnell 2004). Many researchers have expressed the opinion that the school plays an important role in shaping social identity, including ethnic and national identity. (Phinney et al. 2001, Kinket et al. 1997). School should be a place where students obtain knowledge about their country of settlement, about culture and, to a certain extent, their country of origin within the framework of the formal curriculum. They will also acquire the language skills that are necessary for understanding and coping in their surroundings. The analysis results, which cover the information obtained within the framework of the curriculum, confirm the results of earlier studies. The students’ actual knowledge was not measured as part of this study, but only how they assessed it. A number of authors have indicated that a formal curriculum is less effective than a non-formal one and that different things are valued. Students from Russian-language and bilingual classes claiming a greater knowledge of Russian language and culture compared with Estonian language and culture cannot lead to the conclusion that a different subject matter is being taught within the official curriculum. To begin with, this is a study of students’ self-assessments, which could equally mean aggrandizement. Moreover, there may also be the influence of a hidden curriculum. To draw any conclusions here, an analysis needs to be carried out of the learning environment.