Challenges and strategic solutions in heritage language instruction: an evaluation from teachers' perspectives

Abstract

This study aims to identify the characteristics of Heritage Language (HL) teaching free from challenges, based on teachers' recommendations, after identifying the difficulties encountered in HL instruction. Data on the HL teaching process were collected from 17 Turkish language teachers working in France. In the first stage, teachers' observations on difficulties stemming from HL learning experiences and environments, lesson content, and assessment procedures were gathered. In the second stage, teachers provided recommendations to overcome the identified challenges, including designing lesson content, organizing teaching processes, adapting activities for multigrade classrooms, improving assessment methods, and implementing sibling-class applications. The findings, conclusions were drawn regarding the current state of Turkish HL teaching in France and how the instructional process should be structured. The results indicated that HL didactics in France exhibits a multilayered structure that is not only pedagogical but also deeply intertwined with social, cultural, and individual contexts. These findings were classified into two main dimensions: (i) factors forming the internal components of HL education, and (ii) external factors that, while not inherently part of HL didactics, exert a significant influence. Recommendations were proposed to enhance the functionality and visibility of key factors supporting the sustainability of Turkish teaching in EILE classrooms.