Innovation in Language Learning
Whose Language Counts at Home? Parents' Perspective on Early Language Development in Multilingual Lagos
Farida Ladipo-Ajayi, University of Exeter, United Kingdom; The Bookworm Cafe, Nigeria (United Kingdom)
Abstract
In multilingual Lagos households, early language development unfolds across English, Nigerian Pidgin, Yoruba, and Igbo, yet which of these languages is recognised as valuable for young children's learning remains shaped by colonial-era hierarchies that continue to privilege English in both schooling and public life. While research on early language support has grown considerably, parents' own perspectives remain under-represented, particularly in West African contexts, where existing work tends to centre schools and to assume monolingual development norms. This study, conducted as MEd research at the University of Exeter, examines how parents of children in the early years understand and support early language development at home in multilingual Lagos contexts. Drawing on a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews with parents are analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke (2006). The study is framed by an understanding of literacy and language development as social practice (Barton & Hamilton, 2012; Street, 1984), an approach that treats home language environments as meaningful in their own right rather than as deficient approximations of school norms, and one that can be understood as particularly consequential in postcolonial settings where family language choices carry social weight. Findings, which will be presented at the conference, are expected to offer implications for how educators and policymakers recognise and build upon the language practices of multilingual homes, contributing to conversations about linguistic diversity, equity and early learning in the Global South.
Keywords: Home language environment; parental perspectives; early language development; multilingualism; Lagos
REFERENCES
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[2] Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
[3] Street, B. V. (1984). Literacy in theory and practice. Cambridge University Press.
