In this master thesis, we study the integration of immigrant pupils in primary school. In the theoretical part, we first define basic concepts such as immigration, immigrant children, multiculturalism and multiculturalism. In the second section we present Slovenia as a place of emigration and immigration, as well as models of immigrant policies, Slovenian integration policy and factors of integration processes. In the third chapter we examine the school space as a space of multiculturalism and focus on the demarcation of concepts and the idea of inclusion, the definition of intercultural education, present the model of intercultural education and the Slovenian legislation and strategies for the successful integration of immigrant children into the school system. In Chapter 5, we present the situation in each school, the influence of peers, the influence of teachers and other professionals and the challenges of integrating immigrant pupils. In Chapter 7, we present the role of mother tongue and second language, and systemic support for learning Slovenian and mother tongue, and language as a factor for successful integration into the school environment. In Chapter 8, we present the importance of social class and family environment: the role of social and cultural capital, social class and differences in educational achievement, and elaborated and restrictive language codes.
In the empirical part, we present the findings of our research, in which we established the extent to which multiculturalism is the starting point of educational work in the school, through interviews with three school practitioners and three Afghan students and their mother, and an analysis of theory. We looked at how legislation and other provisions at the systemic level enable and promote the integration of immigrant children into the school system, how the school organises the teaching of Slovene as a second language and whether the school organises the teaching of the immigrant's mother tongue, what is the social class of the immigrant family (level of education, occupational status and income) that affects the integration of the immigrant child into the school system and whether it has changed with the move, what is the social capital (at the level of the students: participation in clubs, societies, number of friends, etc., at parent level: interest in school performance, knowledge of the child's friends) of the immigrant child's country of destination which makes it easier for children to thrive in school, what is the cultural capital (at parent level: expectations, sense of security, sense of belonging..., at pupil level: reading habits and active participation of pupils in artistic and other activities) of the immigrant child's country of destination, which makes it easier for the child to succeed at school, and the influence of the family (parent-child communication, parental expectations, parental control, parental involvement in the schools, interactions with family members, the number of courses attended by family members and how this promotes interactions) on the immigrant child's integration into the school system and whether immigrant students are integrated holistically at each school (according to the criteria of the intercultural education model (Vižintin 2017, p.181-327). In the case study school, the integration of pupils from Afghanistan is going successfully. The latest Guidelines for the Integration of Children, Pupils and Students from Other Linguistic and Cultural Backgrounds into the Slovenian Educational System (2024) include suggestions to make the integration of pupils even more successful.
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