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Session Information
04 SES 13 E, Inclusive Perspectives on the ‘Post-Refugee-Discourse’ in Education
Symposium
Contribution
Educational policies and curriculum guides in Iceland emphasize equity and inclusion. A fundamental principle of the Icelandic education system is that everyone is to have equal access to education irrespective of sex, economic status, geographic location, religion, disability and cultural or social background. Linguistic and cultural diversity among school children and their families in Iceland has been steadily growing over the past few years. Resettled refugees are among these children. The aim of the study is to explore the dilemmas of inclusion and integration of refugee children in Icelandic preschools and compulsory schools, the structures created for their reception, participation, learning and wellbeing, educational practices and educational partnerships with their parents. The theoretical framework of the study includes critical approaches to education (May & Sleeter 2010) and multilingual education (Chumak-Horbatsch 2012). Methods include semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers in the schools and with the refugee parents, which belong to a group of 55 Syrian quota refugees, consisting of ten families which arrived in early 2016 and settled in three municipalities. Background information and policy documents from school authorities in the municipalities are also be explored. The findings indicate that the inclusion and integration of the refugee children in the schools has in many ways been successful, while various dilemmas and issues for consideration have come up. Knowledge and suitable educational practices such as multilingual education (Chumak-Horbatsch, 2012; Cummins, 2004) and multicultural education (Nieto, 2010) are generally not in place in the schools. Instead, the emphasis is on individually based teaching and Icelandic as a second language. Other challenges include illiteracy of children and parents and lack of support for the children’s heritage languages.
References
Chumak-Horbatsch, R. (2012). Linguistically appropriate practice: A guide for working with young immigrant children. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Cummins, J. (2004). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire (3rd ed.). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. May, S. & Sleeter, C. E. (2010). Introduction. Critical multiculturalism: Theory and praxis. In S. May & C. E. Sleeter (Eds.), Critical Multiculturalism: Theory and Praxis (pp. 1-16). New York: Routledge. Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes. Creating multicultural learning communities (10th anniversary edition). New York: Teachers College Press.
Programme by Networks, ECER 2021
00. Central Events (Keynotes, EERA-Panel, EERJ Round Table, Invited Sessions)
Network 1. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations
Network 2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Network 3. Curriculum Innovation
Network 4. Inclusive Education
Network 5. Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education
Network 6. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures
Network 7. Social Justice and Intercultural Education
Network 8. Research on Health Education
Network 9. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement
Network 10. Teacher Education Research
Network 11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance
Network 12. LISnet - Library and Information Science Network
Network 13. Philosophy of Education
Network 14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research
Network 15. Research Partnerships in Education
Network 16. ICT in Education and Training
Network 17. Histories of Education
Network 18. Research in Sport Pedagogy
Network 19. Ethnography
Network 20. Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments
Network 22. Research in Higher Education
Network 23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Network 24. Mathematics Education Research
Network 25. Research on Children's Rights in Education
Network 26. Educational Leadership
Network 27. Didactics – Learning and Teaching
Network 28. Sociologies of Education
Network 29. Reserach on Arts Education
Network 30. Research on Environmental und Sustainability Education
Network 31. Research on Language and Education (LEd)
Network 32. Organizational Education
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