Differences in school practices lead to variations in the school paths of pupils with a migrant background
Progress has been made in supporting the learning and school attendance of pupils with a migrant background, but there are still significant differences between schools. Pupils may become isolated from the rest of the school community during instruction preparing for primary and lower secondary education, which makes the transition to primary and lower secondary education more difficult.
These are some of the conclusions of the new report by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC), which collates the results of evaluations, research and development projects carried out in 2021–2026 as part of the Ministry of Education and Culture’s action plan for strengthening the basic skills and language of instruction of pupils with a migrant background. The aim of the action plan was to support the learning and language of instruction skills of pupils with a migrant background and to improve transitions from instruction preparing for primary and lower secondary education to primary and lower secondary education and on to upper secondary education and training.
The role of schools in promoting integration needs to be developed
Pupils’ opportunities to integrate into the school community and learn the language of instruction still vary from school to school. Supporting integration cannot be left up to individual teachers; instead, it must be part of the overall operating culture, management and practices of schools. According to the report, key factors that contribute to the successful school path and integration of pupils who have moved to Finland include the pupils’ sense of belonging to the school community and opportunities to make friends.
“While compiling this report, we found that the practices of individual schools remain very varied. Some teachers are reluctant to hold integration lessons due to a lack of time or the necessary skills, for example. However, these lessons are very important for learning, as they allow pupils receiving instruction preparing for primary and lower secondary education to take part in the activities of a primary or lower secondary education group in order to improve their proficiency in the language of instruction and to build social relationships,” explains Lead Adviser for Evaluation Jaana Saarinen.
Language-aware teaching not yet established practice across all areas of education
Language awareness is fairly well recognised in schools, but practice is still lagging behind the objectives. Although the principle of teaching subject content and language simultaneously has been part of the national core curriculum for primary and lower secondary education since 2014, the implementation of language awareness still depends too heavily on the interest of individual teachers and principals. The report emphasises the importance of embedding language awareness into the everyday operations and pedagogical management of schools and the development of teachers’ skills, as it promotes learning for all pupils. Teachers report that they need more time, support, resources and training in order to provide language-aware instruction.
Teachers are in need of continuing education, but opportunities for it vary
As well as language awareness, teachers need continuing education especially in relation to learning support. The language skills of pupils with a migrant background, which are still developing, can make it difficult to identify learning difficulties and any history of trauma, as well as to provide learning support. The need for continuing education is especially great among teachers who have no previous experience in teaching pupils with a migrant background.
“Various continuing education needs were a recurring theme in all the data collected during the action plan. Some of the data were collected prior to the funding for continuing education being cut by €15 million, which will only further increase the need for continuing education. We need new solutions for the continuing education of teachers,” says Evaluation Adviser Tanja Laimi.
Development projects produced effective solutions
During the action plan, a total of 73 projects were carried out to develop pupils’ learning, integration, transitions between the various stages of the school path and cooperation between home and school. For example, projects carried out in Mikkeli, Tampere and Joensuu developed online course programmes, models for co-teaching and approaches to cooperation between schools and homes.
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