Through the teachers’ eyes: barriers to equitable language stimulating environments in early childhood education a qualitative mobile eye-tracking study

Abstract

This study investigates the barriers teachers encounter in ensuring equal participation for all children in classroom interactions, with a focus on linguistically vulnerable and/or multilingual children. While disparities in engagement are well documented, the underlying mechanisms have received limited attention in the literature. Stimulated recall interviews (SRIs) with mobile eye-tracking recordings of teachers’ (N = 25) conversations were conducted. The results indicate that teachers perceive fostering language development as one of their core responsibilities; however, they appear to differentiate in their approach depending on children’s linguistic backgrounds. In addition, thematic analysis identified barriers at three levels: child, teacher, and system. At the child level, traits such as shyness, language background or limited language proficiency reduce participation. At the teacher level, implicit expectations and biases influence interaction patterns. At the system level, structural constraints – such as large class sizes and accountability pressures – further impede equitable engagement. While teachers aim to foster language development, systemic constraints and teacher biases can marginalise vulnerable children. The findings emphasise the need for targeted professional development and systemic reforms to foster more equitable language stimulation in early education.

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