Language Values, Ideologies, and Beliefs (VIBes) in Aruban primary education policy and practice - Conference Presentation Linguacultural Spaces 2026

This is a presentation delivered by Régine I. Croes at the Linguacultural Spaces Symposium, organized by Tilburg University, University of Glasgow, University of Salamanca and University of Bologna. Abstract: This research is aimed at developing a practical survey instrument for measuring Language Values, Ideologies and Beliefs (VIBes) among teachers, policymakers, parents, students and administrators in Aruba, an autonomous Caribbean island within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba’s plurilingual community, where Papiamento, English, Spanish and Dutch coexist, faces persistent low educational outcomes associated with language policies and practices that do not reflect the plurilingual sociolinguistic reality of the children. Through qualitative exploratory discourse analysis of policy texts and focus group data, this project identifies the fundamental Language VIBes that coherently shape Aruban educational policies and practices, situated within the island’s historical and socio-economic context. By applying a mixed-methods approach, this qualitative inventory informs the design and pilot of a survey tool, enabling comparative measurement of Language VIBes across educational settings and stakeholders. The project ultimately facilitates a data-driven understanding of how competing Language VIBes may influence stakeholders’ support for more inclusive and equitable language policies and practices in Aruba, and may offer a scalable model for extension to other (Dutch) Caribbean or post-colonial (island) contexts.