As classrooms are becoming more culturally and linguistically diverse due to migration and mobility within the EU, educational institutions need to to deal with diversity and address the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. The demand for ensuring equal education and opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds calls for enhancing teachers’ intercultural competencies, generally defined as the skills and awareness necessary to navigate cultural and linguistic diversity effectively (Perry & Southwell, 2011). Supporting teachers’ intercultural competencies also includes taking into account external issues that have an impact on teachers’ practices, such as collaboration and school policies (Romijn, Slot & Leseman, 2020). Indeed, creating an inclusive school culture and community by active pedagogical collaboration and effective leadership is crucial in order to support migrant students (Manninen et al., 2022; Tarnanen, Kalalahti & Palonen, 2023; Khalifa, Gooden & Davis, 2016). However, despite the growing recognition of the importance of cultural and language awareness in schools, there are still challenges that teachers are facing when teaching in classrooms with diverse students (e.g. Coronel & Gómez-Hurtado, 2015; Tarnanen & Palviainen, 2018; Biasutti, Concina & Frate, 2020). Several studies also suggest that pre-service and in-service teachers may hold negative beliefs or attitudes or lack of knowledge about cultural diversity or teaching students with diverse backgrounds (Hanna, 2023; Jaatinen, Rissanen & Kuusisto, 2023; Vigren et al. 2022). Addressing and understanding these challenges is essential to support teachers’ intercultural competencies and develop pre-service and in-service teacher education. 

This study focuses on the perceptions and experiences in teaching students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, as described by teachers of newly arrived migrant students in Finland. In Finland, newly arrived migrant students attend preparatory education during their first school year. The preparatory education is intended for students who do not have sufficient linguistic skills to participate in basic education. According to the national curriculum for preparatory education (Opetushallitus, 2015), the aims for preparatory education are to ensure sufficient language and learning skills for the student to be able to attend mainstream education, as well as support their understanding and knowledge of their own language and culture. Preparatory education in Finland is typically implemented by teaching students partly in separate classrooms but integrating them partly into mainstream education.

In this study we focus on teachers’ perceptions of the strengths and challenges they encounter when teaching in preparatory education both at an individual level and within the broader context of school communities. Additionally, we intend to provide insights into what kind of support teachers consider they need in their professional development when teaching students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The study aims to contribute to the discussion on supporting teachers in working with diverse students, a topic relevant to all school contexts involving students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The research questions we aim to answer are as follows: 1) How do preparatory education teachers perceive their strengths and challenges in teaching and supporting students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds? 2) What do teachers identify most essential in supporting their intercultural competencies? 

The study is part of the research project VOITTO that is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland (2023-2025). The VOITTO project aims to explore ways to support the school engagement of newly arrived migrant students (aged 12-17) and to enhance their proficiency in the language of instruction across various subjects during preparatory education. Additionally, the project examines the school culture and its leadership culture within schools that facilitate the integration of newly arrived students.

This study employs a qualitative research design to gain deeper understanding of teachers' perceptions and experiences in teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 teachers working in preparatory education in different parts of Finland. The interviews were designed to elicit participants' views on supporting the integration and Finnish language learning of newly arrived students, creating a safe environment for the students and collaborating with basic education teachers and other school staff. In the analysis the focus is on both school community and interpersonal factors related to teachers’ intercultural competencies. The data were analysed using the Atlas.ti software. The data are analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, as described by Braun and Clarke (2006, 2019). Reflexive thematic analysis is a qualitative research method that aims to identify and interpret broader themes related to the phenomenon while acknowledging the researcher’s active role in the analytical process. Particular attention was given to reflectivity throughout the process to ensure that the researcher critically considered the interpretations. Reflexive thematic analysis goes beyond just describing the data: the results are not expected to emerge from the data, but they are created by the researcher through reflection and interpretation. Thus, the themes are organised based on shared meanings rather than merely categorizing the interview content by topic (Braun & Clarke, 2019). Following the patterns by Braun and Clarke (2006), we first familiarized ourselves with the data. Then, we began analyzing it by identifying the codes related to strengths and challenges in supporting students from diverse backgrounds. From there we moved on to coding them and eventually started to refine broader themes through interpretation and reflection. The analysis is still ongoing and the final themes are under development. Preliminary analysis has identified key patterns related to collaboration, teachers’ attitudes, resources and school culture.

Preliminary findings suggest that fostering cultural and linguistic awareness and supporting students from diverse backgrounds is a matter of the whole school community. Teachers found challenging especially the problematic attitudes in school culture or within colleagues, and the limited resources, such as not enough materials or school assistants. Simultaneously, teachers identified various strengths in their work: positive attitudes and atmosphere in school, effective collaboration with colleagues and the help of school assistants were seen helpful and supportive. Earlier research has also stated that more staff collaboration is needed to support the learning and integration of students (e.g. Manninen et al., 2022; Tarnanen et al., 2023). At an individual level, some preparatory education teachers perceived the overall diversity among students as challenging for them since it demands a lot of pedagogical adaptability and time. In addition, teachers described feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty. On the other hand, teachers also described how their previous education and linguistic competencies support them in their work. What is more, the cultural and linguistic diversity was widely seen as an enriching and valuable thing that needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. Many teachers found their work meaningful and important. Teachers emphasised the need for greater empathy, patience, and appreciation for the students and cultural diversity to create a supportive environment for everyone. The findings of this study can contribute to supporting teachers' intercultural competencies, ensuring that they are better equipped to navigate culturally and linguistically diverse learning environments. Additionally, the results provide knowledge to develop pre-service and in-service teacher education. The results also show that the impact of a good community on teachers' practices is valuable. Therefore, community-based approaches in teacher education should be developed in a research-based manner in partnership with schools.

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