Migration is in Europe a permanent condition rather than a transitory process. European countries need to face the presence of migrant people and children in their social context in order to foster the integration and optimal development of migrant and native citizens.
Recent surveys (Eurydice 2008 and 2009) report and analyse the difficult situation of migrant pupils in European schools and describe good practices and resources to improve this situation.
The migrant students (or students with a migrant background) in European schools experience an educational disadvantage, which can be ascribed to reasons at different levels of analysis.
One of the reasons of the underachievement can be found in a micro-level of analysis, in particular in the relationship between teacher and student, among students and between parents and students. In fact, teacher’s attitude towards migrant students and their expectation about their potential academic achievement is one of the main factors of actual achievement eventually by the mediation of the style and the quality of teacher-student relationship. Raising the teachers’ awareness of the importance of their attitudes towards children and helping them to modify them could create a better educational context for migrant (and native) students. Furthermore, the role of peers as partners in the learning process could be emphasized by the use of cooperative learning experiences. Finally the educational context created by the parent – child relationship, the parenting style and the expectations of the parents about the child’s integration and academic achievement (Hao and Bonstead-Bruns, 1998). The possibility for families of both maintaining and cultivating their origins’ culture and acquire elements of the host country culture should be a guaranteed opportunity for migrant families or families with a migrant background. This could allow a real integration of adults and children avoiding the risk of acculturation on one side, and segregation on the other. Furthermore, having the possibility of sharing their own origins’ culture and practices with native people could contribute to reduce prejudice and stereotypes towards migrants (Pang e Stablin, 2001).
A second level where reasons for migrant students’ underachievement is the meso-system created by the relationship between school and family. Many studies have demonstrated that through collaboration between parents and school personnel, pupils acquire higher social skills (Arnold et al., 2008; Comer,1988; Epstein, 1991; Izzo Weiss-berg, Kasprow, & Fendrich, 1999; Reynolds, 1992). Specifically, parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling seems to be associated with children’s positive achievements, fewer behavioural problems (Comer, 1984) and a lower percentage of marginalised pupils (McNeal, 1999). Other studies have investigated the relationship between home-school collaboration and the children’s attainment at school. These studies suggest the importance of parental involvement for the promotion of academic abilities from an early age (Christenson, & Thurlow, 2004; Rimm-Kaufman, & Pianta, 2000).
Finally, at a macro-level of analysis, economic equality, high investment in child care, a good pre-school education system and the presence of a comprehensive educational system, are crucial to promote the individual development and academic achievement (Entfort e Lauk, 2008).
The present project aims to face the migrant children (or children with a migrant background) need for an educational context that allow their optimal individual development and achievement and social integration, by intervening of the micro- and meso- levels of analysis. In particular, we will work to improve language abilities (in the host country’s language and in the origins’ language), social integration in the host society (e.g. in group of peers and with the teachers), and school achievement of migrant children. Furthermore we aim to increase the level of relationship and cooperation among teachers and (migrant and native) parents and to impact on negative prejudices against “diversity” in teachers and in (migrant native) parents and children.
These objectives will be reached
a) by training and awareness-raising actions for teachers and parents about the potential benefits of inter-culture and multilingual education for people living in a multicultural society,
b) by implementing cooperative learning processes and activities involving parents and teachers and coaching them in order to assure a positive and constructive social climate
c) by providing migrant children with a second language learning experience in the comprehensive context of their ordinary school class with the narrative format model (Taeschner, 2005)
d) by providing migrant parents with second language learning experiences with their children’s teacher and with their own children at home with the narrative format model.
e) by providing native children and teachers to familiarize with a foreign language (first or origin’s language for some of their classmates) with the narrative format model.
The narrative format model’s strategies, activities and teaching materials are the main result of several European projects and a core expertise of Coordinator and P2. The coordinator is also expert in teacher’s training, parents-teachers relationship and in socio-psychological and educational issues of immigration.
P3 is specialised in addressing families and professionals for multilingualism and early language learning issues and is familiar with the narrative format model, by its participation in the BILFAM project.
P4’s mission is the development of actions for intercultural education and actions for migrant families and children. They are also familiar with the narrative format having participated in the Dinocrocs grow up project.