| dc.description.abstract | Frisian is the second official language of the Netherlands and is spoken in the province of Fryslân. This language is used in different ways in society and primary schools; however, the Dutch language is dominant in most aspects of everyday life. This thesis explores the perspectives that schoolchildren in Fryslân have on Frisian education at school and what role the Frisian language plays in their lives, inside and outside of school. The Frisian language has a different role in various schools, due to the rules set by the Dutch government and the province of Fryslân. As a result, there are differences in the Frisian language and culture lessons offered at school, which creates differences among the pupils. By interviewing children, children are studied in their own right and are involved and heard in all matters that affect them in life. The study was conducted at four different schools located in both rural and urban areas. In total, the results are mainly based on individual interviews with fourteen pupils and six teachers. Before this, group discussions were held with 43 pupils and observations were made in the classrooms. The children's perspectives on Frisian education at their school differed according to their level and connection with the Frisian language. Children with Frisian as their mother tongue generally found the lessons too simple, whereas children with Dutch (or another mother tongue) often found the Frisian lessons challenging. The language seems to be used frequently in free situations at schools, such as in the breaks and between lessons and is used by pupils and teachers as a language of emotion. Feelings and emotions were often mentioned by pupils in combination with the role of the Frisian language, especially by children whose mother tongue is Frisian. Both children from the countryside, where the Frisian language is spoken more often, and children from the city indicated that they find the Frisian language less important than the Dutch language, where there is also a greater need to use Dutch more in daily life. This could have consequences for the Frisian language and how often it is used in everyday life. Still, most children indicate that it is important to learn Frisian, either the language or culture, to enhance involvement with the local community and a sense of belonging. Gaining insight into how children describe their relationship with the Frisian language will hopefully create scope for doing more of this research in the future. | |