Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate how different indicators of inclusion were experienced and emphasized in multicultural classrooms in Norway. More specifically, we investigated how belonging, trust, safety, friendship, participation, and shared collaborative activities were described by pupils and their class teachers and how diversity was interpreted and encouraged with a special focus on culturally responsive teaching. A resilience perspective was adopted because immigrant pupils may be in a more vulnerable situation compared to their native peers in terms of feeling included in a class. The outcomes of the interactions between pupils and both their teachers and their environments and the processes that contribute to these outcomes are important when working toward increased inclusion in the class context. This study applied a qualitative design, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. The sample consisted of six teachers, six immigrant boys, and six native Norwegian boys from six different classes in different secondary schools. Thematic analysis showed that although most pupils described their classrooms as safe and secure, the feeling of membership in a subgroup seemed to be stronger than the feeling of membership in the class, especially among the immigrant pupils. Acceptance of diversity seemed to be the norm; however, diversity did not seem to be appreciated, encouraged, or used in teacher practices aiming to increase feelings of inclusion. Specifically, compared to the teachers, the pupils more strongly emphasized ethnic background as an important dimension of diversity. Teachers used culturally responsive teaching but in a limited manner. The results are discussed in relation to the resilience perspective and the vision of inclusive education, which posits that all pupils should learn together as a class community.
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Nergaard, S.E., Fandrem, H., Jahnsen, H., Tveitereid, K. (2020). Inclusion in Multicultural Classrooms in Norwegian Schools: A Resilience Perspective. In: Güngör, D., Strohmeier, D. (eds) Contextualizing Immigrant and Refugee Resilience. Advances in Immigrant Family Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42303-2_11
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