Family language policies of Saudi student families in the UK: parental language beliefs, practices and management

In the UK different types of bi/ multilingual families have created unprecedented cultural and linguistic diversity. One type of family that is as yet minimally researched is the sojourning student-family. In these families, parents and their children are exposed to a variety of experiences that inform their language choices, with children becoming active agents in shaping family language policy (FLP). This study investigates how sojourning student families navigate their children's language learning in the host country. It focuses on the parental language policies implemented, how parental language ideologies influence family members’ language practices, when examining children’s socialisation within the contexts of both the minority language (Arabic) and the majority language (English).
The study employs a multiple-case-studies approach using qualitative methods within a constructivist paradigm and FLP theoretical framework, to explore the FLP of six Saudi student families residing in the UK, and the influence of micro and macro forces on FLP construction, both inside the home and at societal level. Data was collected over a nine month period and comprised self-audio-recordings of family members’ daily interactions, audit forms, background forms and semi-structured interviews with mothers. Thematic Analysis was employed to analyse the data.
The findings reveal the greater the agreement between parents’ language practices and their FLP, the more they influence children's bilingual development. Some incongruities emerged between the mothers’ declared language ideologies and the actual language used, and child agency and external forces were observed to contribute to this. FLP was also found to be negotiated and reconstructed to suit the language needs and familial circumstances of transnational sojourning families, providing implications for parents, schools, and policymakers.