HomeAbstract of 10th-tleconfMeasuring State Language Use beyond School in Minority Education: Development of the SLUICS Scale

Measuring State Language Use beyond School in Minority Education: Development of the SLUICS Scale

  • Apr 10, 2026
  • Posted by:
  • Category: Abstract of 10th-tleconf
No Comments


Abstract Book of the 10th International Academic Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education

Year: 2026

[PDF]

Measuring State Language Use beyond School in Minority Education: Development of the SLUICS Scale

Katalin Sýkora Hernády

ABSTRACT:

The study presents the development and initial psychometric standardization of a questionnaire designed to measure the intensity and dimensions of state language use beyond institutional settings among teachers in minority education. Focusing on primary-level teachers working in Hungarian-medium schools in Slovakia, the research adopts a cross-sectional quantitative design. Data were collected via an online survey in 2025 from a nationally representative sample of 257 teachers. The final 8-item self-report scale, termed the State Language Use beyond Institutional Contexts Scale (SLUICS), captures everyday language practices, situational language choice, and motivational orientations toward the state language. The data demonstrated excellent suitability for factor analysis (KMO=0.863; Bartlett’s test p<0.001). Principal component analysis with Varimax rotation revealed a stable two-factor structure comprising (1) a practical–behavioural dimension of out-of-school state language use and (2) a motivational–affective, career-oriented dimension. Together, the factors accounted for 69.56% of the total variance. Both subscales exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.823–0.868). The findings indicate that SLUICS is a psychometrically sound instrument suitable for research applications. By operationalizing state language use beyond formal educational contexts, the scale provides a tool for investigating language practices, language socialization processes, and professional linguistic identity in minority education. The study contributes to the empirical understanding of teachers’ language use practices in minority education and offers a new perspective on the social and professional use of the state language.

Keywords: Language Practices; Language Socialization; Minority Teachers; Second Language; Teachers’ Language Practices