Pre-service teachers’ beliefs toward Basque, Spanish, English, and French: L1 as a structuring dimension in a minoritised-language multilingual context

This mixed-methods study examines how pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) first language (L1) and sociolinguistic factors shape language beliefs toward Basque, Spanish, English, and French in the Southern Basque Country, a minoritised-language-centred multilingual education context. Questionnaire data from 625 PSTs in teacher education programmes were analysed through inferential group comparisons and complemented by eight thematically analysed focus groups. Five constructs were compared through the lens of L1: self-perceived proficiency, usefulness, difficulty, importance, and identification. Results show that L1 is a major structuring dimension of how future teachers position the curricular languages. The strongest differences emerged for the two co-official languages, with large effect sizes: participants reported higher proficiency, usefulness, importance, and identification with their L1, while simultaneous Basque–Spanish bilinguals consistently occupied an intermediate position; English and French showed weaker, more uniform patterns. Qualitative results indicate that beliefs are shaped by language biography, domains of use, affective attachment, and grammar-heavy schooling that constructs Basque as a difficult school language rather than a vehicle for everyday use. The study argues that L1 operates as a mediating factor in access to linguistic legitimacy, and that multilingual pedagogies in minoritised-language settings require explicit attention to language hierarchy and biographical asymmetries among future teachers.