Language and linguistic diversity play a key role in disparities in academic achievement. With around 25 % of preschool children in Australia communicating in a language other than English at home, developing a greater understanding of early childhood educators’ viewpoints towards, and engagement with, children's linguistic and cultural resources is vital. This research project asks how educators in early childhood settings view children's linguistic and cultural diversity. Employing Q methodology, the study investigated subjective viewpoints among educators at the early childhood level in Australia. Three distinct viewpoints were identified, shedding light on the complexities of language and culture related issues, as well as some of the challenges for EC educators in responding to the diverse needs of children. The findings reinforce the need for tailored pre-service and in-service professional learning that supports the development of teacher identity as well as their theoretical and pedagogical knowledge of multilingual language development.

语言和语言多样性在学术成就差异中发挥着关键作用。澳大利亚约有 25% 的学龄前儿童在家中使用英语以外的语言进行交流，因此更好地了解幼儿教育者对儿童语言和文化资源的看法和参与至关重要。该研究项目询问幼儿教育工作者如何看待儿童的语言和文化多样性。该研究采用 Q 方法，调查了澳大利亚幼儿教育工作者的主观观点。确定了三种不同的观点，阐明了语言和文化相关问题的复杂性，以及 EC 教育工作者在应对儿童多样化需求时面临的一些挑战。研究结果强调了量身定制的职前和在职专业学习的必要性，以支持教师身份的发展以及多语言发展的理论和教学知识。