In Norway, most newly arrived minority language speaking students choose the vocational path in upper secondary school. Only half of this group complete their education within 6 years and for those who have a limited school background, the completion rate is expected to be even lower (Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet, 2021; Thorud, 2017). Migrant students are faced with several challenges when entering the mainstream school system and linguistic barriers have been identified as a major obstacle (Bakken & Hyggen, 2018; Dewilde & Kulbrandstad, 2016; Lunga et al., 2020). The education of newly arrived students has been a relatively under-researched area, particularly when it comes to the students’ own experiences and to the many transitions they go through in the educational system (Jama, 2018; Nilsson Folke, 2017). Furthermore, vocational education has overall received little attention in research and theory development (Hellne-Halvorsen, 2014; Herrera et al., 2022). This study attempts to address these voids by investigating one student’s experiences with transitioning from an introduction class for newly arrived migrants to vocational school. I investigated this student’s experiences related to first language use in the two school contexts by asking: 1) what characterizes his experiences concerning first language use in the transition from introduction class to vocational school? And, 2) How can these experiences be understood? I will share findings from a relevant study drawing on data material from critical linguistic ethnographic fieldwork where I followed 22-year-old Hamid in his transition from an introduction class for newly arrived migrants to vocational school. Connections, or potentially disconnections, with language practices in students’ previous school contexts appeared as a key element towards understanding linguistic challenges experienced in vocational school. The use of first languages as a resource to both second language and subject content learning became an increasingly important factor as Hamid transitioned to vocational school. Data material consists of fieldnotes from participatory observation and transcripts of in-depth interviews with the student, his teachers, and school leaders. I consider ideological and pedagogical underpinnings influencing the student’s experiences by drawing on critical sociolinguistic theory on language and language learning.

Bakken, A., & Hyggen, C. (2018). Trivsel og utdanningsdriv blant minoritetselever i videregående. Hvordan forstå karakterforskjeller mellom elever med ulik innvandrerbakgrunn? NOVA. Dewilde, J., & Kulbrandstad, L. A. (2016). Nyankomne barn og unge i den norske utdanningskonteksten. Nordisk tidsskrift for andrespråksforskning, 11(2), 13–33. Hellne-Halvorsen, E. B. (2014). Skrivepraksiser i yrkesfaglige utdanningsprogrammer [Universitetet i Oslo]. I Norbok. https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2019091977070 Herrera, L. M., Teräs, M., Gougoulakis, P., & Kontio, J. (Red.). (2022). Migration and inclusion in work life—The role of VET (Bd. 7). Atlas Akademi. Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet. (2021). Gjennomføring av videregående opplæring blant unge innvandrere. IMDi. https://www.imdi.no/om-integrering-i-norge/kunnskapsoversikt/gjennomforing-av-videregaende-opplaring--blant-unge-innvandrere/ Jama, H. (2018). Nyankomne elever i det norske utdanningssystemet: Overgangen fra innføringstilbud til ordinær undervisning [Masteroppgave, Universitetet i Oslo]. https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/64321/Masteroppgave-Hibo-Jama---v-r-2018.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Lunga, W., Bislimi, F., Momani, F., Nouns, I., & Sobane, K. (2020). Barriers to access to education for migrant children. G20 Insights. https://www.g20-insights.org/policy_briefs/barriers-to-access-to-education-for-migrant-children/ Nilsson Folke, J. (2017). Lived transitions: Experiences of learning and inclusion among newly arrived students. Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University. Thorud, E. (2017). Immigration and Integration 2016–2017 (s. 180). regjeringen.no/contentassets/005e1d69ad5141958451b8770552dab9/immigration-and-integration-20162017.pdf