“It’s all human stories”: Teachers’ Relational Agency to Accommodate Migrant Students in Scotland, Finland and Sweden
by Cecilia Gialdini
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cecilia Gialdini is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Edinburgh
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In today’s globalized world, many of the people who migrate to a different country are of school age. The 2023 UNHCR Refugee Education Report, which analysed data from over 70 refugee-hosting countries, shows a nearly 50% increase in school-aged refugees by the end of 2022, primarily due to the invasion of Ukraine. Consequently, classrooms have become ecosystems of diverse cultures, languages, and experiences. More than that, schools are often a hub of information, as they are the first point of contact for newly arrived families in the host society. They serve as an arena for integration not only for the students but for the families as well. Parents meet other parents and teachers, exchanging knowledge not only about children’s schooling but also about life in that particular city or neighbourhood, including specific services for newcomers. Education thus becomes a place for integration in a broad sense, for both children and families. Within this space, the role of teachers has become ever more crucial as they navigate class teaching, provide dedicated support for students who require additional care, and interact with parents and specialists. One of the critical ways teachers can navigate this complexity is through relational agency—defined as working flexibly with other actors in their social networks to support migrant students. Relational agency in schools involves professionals working purposefully and flexibly with others, aware of the resources they can leverage to solve professional problems collectively.
Context
With the TEAMS – Teaching That Matters for Migrant Students project, we aimed to uncover how teachers make use of relational agency in supporting migrant students in three different contexts: Scotland, Finland, and Sweden. These three countries are indeed very interesting when it comes to the integration of migrants in schools, as they are representative of either universalist, targeted, or mixed approaches. What do these approaches entail in practice? In Scotland, which follows a universalist approach, support for migrant students is provided within the mainstream educational provision. English as an Additional Language (EAL) services are a crucial part of this framework, where EAL teachers support both students and mainstream teachers. On the other hand, Finland employs targeted strategies, offering language preparatory classes for migrant students for up to a year before integrating them into mainstream classes. This approach allows for tailored education, addressing specific language and cultural needs before students join their peers. Finally, Sweden presents a mixed approach, with schools choosing between separate preparatory classes and integrated mainstream classes supported by multilingual assistants. This flexibility allows schools to adapt their strategies based on their specific student populations and needs.
The Project
Over the course of more than three and a half years, researchers in TEAMS have conducted a multinational study that involved hundreds of participants in seven schools across these three countries. The study aims to understand how different policy contexts influence the exercise of relational agency.
In Scotland, three schools were selected to represent a broad socio-economic context within one of the major cities: Juniper School, located in a diverse, deprived area; Beech School, situated in a mixed area with high diversity; and Rowan School, an affluent neighbourhood school that receives migrant students.
In Sweden, the study included Magnolia School, where most students have a migrant background, and Pine Tree School, where the school population was predominantly Swedish but with a changing demographic.
In Finland, Downy Birch and Small Birch in smaller cities were selected, both with a minority of students from migrant backgrounds.
Findings
A general pattern across all schools is that teachers’ relational agency for supporting migrant students involves reaching out to colleagues and specialists perceived to have relevant knowledge. This process is often informal, relying on personal relationships and ad-hoc interactions.
For instance, Andy, a class teacher at Juniper School, highlights the importance of informal chats with EAL teachers to address immediate needs:
“I think the formal stuff has a place, obviously. When a pupil has been enrolled, we need to know where they’re at to begin with. However, thereafter, it’s good to just chat informally sometimes. The EAL teacher would maybe come and see me or one of the guidance teachers and say, ‘Right, who do I need to chase up today? Who do you want me to go and speak to today?’”
This sentiment is echoed by a Finnish teacher, Arvo, who emphasises the importance of knowing the student personally to effectively communicate and support them:
“In multicultural work, knowing the student is often very important in everyday life…According to my own experiences, the following questions are certainly challenging for a staff member who doesn’t know the student: Do we understand each other with the student?…How do I communicate things to [the student’s] home so that the recipient also understands the situation?”
Collaboration often involves seeking help from colleagues who have specific skills or knowledge. For example, a class teacher from Juniper School shared how they leveraged the linguistic skills of a modern language teacher:
“So we’ve had, one of the modern languages teachers has picked up the phone and spoken to parents in Spanish for me, or to pupils, to help with the communication there. So there’s the, the informal collaboration happens on a kind of ad-hoc basis, but the more formal side of it is the process that I was talking about earlier, with the interpreters.”
The collaboration is often serendipitous rather than organised. Teachers reach out to those with specific knowledge of students and families, often informally. A class teacher from Beech School shared an example of collaborating with a colleague to support a disengaged student better. The colleague observed the lessons and provided tips, ultimately helping the student pass a crucial exam:
“I had one pupil who I just I, I just was convinced could do more than what he was doing but he, he was just totally switched off in class, he wasn’t getting anything done at all. So I spoke to [the specialist] quite a lot and she came and observed my lessons. Gave me quite a lot of tips and sort of advice on how to work with this student. And he actually passed his national 4 design and manufacture last year. Whereas when I, when I first went to her he wasn’t doing anything in class at all so it was a really, really helpful experience.”
In another example, a senior leader from Juniper School recounted enrolling a student who did not speak English. They arranged for an interpreter, provided cultural background information, and supported the student during their settling-in period. This comprehensive support underscores the importance of relational agency in addressing the multifaceted needs of migrant students:
“I translated the course choice form, arranged for an interpreter to be at the meeting and arranged for the EAL teacher to be at the meeting. I was concerned about the pupil not being able to settle well into the school so arranged two buddies, one of whom speaks the pupil’s mother tongue. […] [The EAL teacher] provided cultural background information for me. She supported the pupil during their settling-in period and continues to support. She assessed their level of English and put that information out to class teachers.”
Despite the willingness to support migrant students, teachers often face challenges, such as communication barriers and limited time for deep collaboration. A teacher from Juniper School noted the difficulty of finding time for in-depth discussions due to the demands of the classroom. The pandemic has exacerbated these challenges, disrupting established collaboration routines:
“Yeah it’s like you, you’re always sort of grabbing one minute or two minutes. So when you talk about close collaboration, it’s hard. You know it’s always hard to find time to really go into depth about these things or to speak about these things without, without kids being around, without having something else that you need to do, you know, to…”
However, these challenges also present opportunities for enhancing relational agency. For instance, setting aside dedicated time for collaboration during in-service training days can foster more structured and meaningful interactions among teachers and specialists: teachers are already tapping in their tacit knowledge, but they need more time to structure effective collaborations to support students. Indeed, the findings from the TEAMS project have implications for promoting inclusive relationships in schools under the principle of treating diversity as a common feature of modern schooling systems rather than a situational response to the migration ‘crisis’.
Conclusions
TEAMS project has shown that teachers’ relational agency and collaborations counts more than the policy setting. Despite the schools in different contexts having different approaches, the findings show that teachers exercise relational agency to support migrant students. By reaching out to colleagues and specialists formally and informally, teachers navigate the complexities of migrant integration, often going above and beyond their perceived roles. Looking ahead, we must move beyond the targeted/universalist framework and focus on collective agency and practices. The quote in the title is taken from an interview with a teacher at the Beech school in Scotland, and it encompasses what this study of teachers’ agency is all about: human stories, connection and willingness to go above and beyond to make an impact in the lives of students. Encouraging teachers to see themselves as agents of change, equipped to address the diverse needs of their students, can foster a more inclusive and supportive educational environment. By promoting collaboration, flexibility, and a deep understanding of their students, teachers can ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to thrive.
Further Reading:
Edwards, Anne. “Relational agency: Learning to be a resourceful practitioner.” International journal of educational research 43.3 (2005): 168-182. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2006.06.010
Pantić N. (2022). Introduction to a special issue of Educational Sciences “Migrant Integration in Schools: Policies and Practices”. MDPI. At: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/education/special_issues/MigrantEdu
Pantić, N., Sarazin, M., Coppe, T., Oral, D., Maninnen, E., Silvennoinen, K., Lund, A., Päivi, H., Vähäsantanen, K., & Li, S. (2024). How do teachers exercise relational agency for supporting migrant students within social networks in schools from Scotland, Finland, and Sweden? Teaching and Teacher Education, 139, 104442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104442
Manninen E, Hökkä P, Tarnanen M, Vähäsantanen K. (2022). Staff Members’ Professional Agency within the Staff Community and the Education Policies: Supporting Integration in Multicultural an Multilingual School Communities. Education Sciences, (12), doi: 10.3390/educsci12120900