Study: Transition to Estonian-language education requires support for children and parents

TALLINN - A recently concluded study by Birute Klaas-Lang, a professor of Estonian as a foreign language at the University of Tartu, shows that the success of the transition to Estonian-language education largely depends on how supported children and parents feel amidst the changes.

The biggest concerns are related to the readiness of schools, the quality of education, the growing academic workload, and the achievement of integration goals.

As a research professor of the Estonian language and its teaching at the Estonian Academy of Sciences, Birute Klaas-Lang, along with her colleagues, studied the attitudes of predominantly Russian-speaking parents in transition schools and kindergartens in Tartu, Tallinn's Lasnamae district, and Ida-Viru County over two years. The working group's aim was to determine how parents in different language environments perceive the transition to Estonian-language education.

The study focused on the positive opportunities parents see in Estonian-language education, the fears and problems they associate with the reform, and the solutions they propose. It also analyzed how parents' language attitudes differ in Estonian, Russian, and multilingual environments, and how these attitudes change after their children have studied in Estonian for one or more years.

The study is based on discussion evenings organized with parents, where researchers created a trusting and open atmosphere for conversation, allowing parents to express their opinions freely.

Attitudes towards Estonian-language education depend on the language environment

The results showed significant regional differences. In Tartu, native Russian-speaking parents clearly considered proficiency in Estonian to be necessary, but in both Ida-Viru County and Lasnamae, the motivation to learn Estonian was markedly weaker due to the lack of a daily Estonian-language environment. "If the language is confined to the classroom and the school environment, then for the student, Estonian might just be a school subject rather than a real necessity and an opportunity to communicate," said Birute Klaas-Lang.

At the same time, parents in Tartu and Lasnamae were concerned about preserving their children's Russian language and cultural identity. The same concerns were echoed across all regions studied: the goals of the reform, the overly rapid timeline, the quality of general education, the increasing academic workload for children, and the growing responsibility of parents for their children's academic success.

Parents' concerns have not disappeared everywhere

However, in the later stages of the study, it became apparent that the concerns of parents with children in kindergarten and grades 1-2 had diminished and their attitudes had become calmer. In contrast, parents of children in grades 4-5 continued to highlight significant problems, especially in Narva, where they felt some of their earlier fears had materialized. "Parents would like more concrete help from schools, such as assistant teachers, learning support, and after-school programs. However, due to a lack of both funding and qualified specialists, schools do not see a way to implement these suggestions," explained Professor Klaas-Lang.

Many parents also doubted whether the reform would help achieve its broader goals - harmonizing the quality of education and advancing integration. Additionally, they lamented the decline in children's learning motivation, as well as their increased workload and stress.

Parents call for more support and flexible solutions

According to the parents, the transition to Estonian-language education requires stronger support measures. They believe fears could be alleviated if children with different native languages studied in the same school, and if strong Estonian language support and assisted subject learning were guaranteed alongside Estonian-medium instruction. The concept of an all-day school, or a system of after-school programs, was also considered important, as it would relieve parents of the obligation to help their children with schoolwork at home.

Parents also emphasized the need to maintain instruction in children's native language and culture in schools and to create more joint extracurricular activities for children from different language backgrounds. "While Tartu and Tallinn have opportunities for joint activities for children with different native languages, for children in Narva, solutions could involve activities that cross county borders. There simply aren't enough Estonian-speaking children in Narva for every Russian-speaking child to have an Estonian-speaking friend," said Birute Klaas-Lang.

Study to continue in Estonian-language schools

A total of 10 academic articles based on the study's results have been or will soon be published. Birute Klaas-Lang will continue to research the transition to Estonian-language education even after the conclusion of the project at the Academy of Sciences. In addition to transition schools, she is now also focusing on Estonian-language schools, as an increasing number of Russian-speaking families are sending their children to so-called 'Estonian schools' when possible. "While to date, virtually all national attention and support measures have been directed at transition schools, Estonian schools-which are becoming increasingly multilingual and multicultural-also feel the need to promote language awareness among both teachers and parents," said Professor Klaas-Lang.