The doctoral dissertation discusses the inclusion of children and parents who have immigrated from Kosovo into the Slovenian school system, with particular emphasis on studying social inclusion and the academic achievement of immigrant children from Kosovo, the forms of parental support provided to children in relation to schoolwork, the ways in which parents cooperate with Slovenian schools, and language use at home and at school. In addressing these aspects, the study proceeds from the assumption that the suitable primary education of immigrant pupils is possible only within an educational environment designed for inclusivity, and which considers the principles of interculturalism and multilingualism. In the theoretical part, in addition to the concepts of inclusivity, interculturalism, multilingualism, plurilingualism, translanguaging, and parental cooperation with the school, the process of Kosovo’s independence is also presented, with particular emphasis on the development of its educational system.
The empirical part is based on the combined use of qualitative and quantitative research methods, namely semi-structured interviews (n = 12), a sociometric test conducted in 47 classes (n = 817), a student questionnaire administered in 61 classes (n = 1,019), and a parent questionnaire (n = 246). The study was conducted during the 2024/25 school year in locations which, according to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, had the highest proportion of immigrants from Kosovo.
The results indicate that Albanian students (n = 153) more frequently occupy marginal positions within classroom social networks, tend to socialise predominantly among themselves, are rarely selected by other classmates, and express desire for more friends within the class. Compared to Slovenian students and other immigrant groups of students, they achieve the lowest overall academic performance as well as the lowest average grades in Slovenian, mathematics, and English. However, the academic achievement of Albanian students born in Slovenia does not differ statistically significantly from those who immigrated either in individual subjects or in overall academic performance. According to student reports, slightly more than one tenth repeated a grade in the 2023/24 school year, while parent reports indicate that approximately one fifth of their children repeated a grade; these findings are based on two unrelated samples.
The analysis indicates that lower academic achievement is partly associated with limited support in home environment. Mothers are more frequently involved in providing assistance with school-related tasks to children. Approximately half of the mothers in the parent sample have completed at most primary education. Mothers assessed their knowledge of the Slovenian language on a six-point scale (from “very poor” to “excellent”), with their average self-assessment being around the “moderate” level (M = 2.70). Fathers rated their knowledge slightly higher, likewise approximately at the “moderate” level (M = 3.20). Only approximately one third of parents are able to communicate in Slovenian in addition to Albanian; a low self-assessment of comprehension of written Slovenian texts was observed. Two thirds of Albanian students report that their parents do not assist them with schoolwork, primarily due to insufficient knowledge of Slovenian or an inability to provide help.
Parents likewise report that limited proficiency in Slovenian and weaker overall educational background restrict opportunities for direct assistance with school-related tasks (e.g., writing homework, joint studying).
From the perspective of language use, the results confirm the presence of diverse linguistic repertoires among Albanian immigrant students, with Albanian remaining an important component of everyday communication, including at school. Meanwhile, more than half of parents, particularly mothers who immigrated from Kosovo, are able to communicate only in Albanian. In an increasingly linguistically diverse school environment, the accessibility of support mechanisms and forms of assistance that take into account the differing linguistic starting points of students and their families emerges as a key issue. Two thirds of students and a smaller proportion of parents emphasize the presence of a person at school who understands Albanian as one of the key missing forms of support, while approximately half of parents express the need for translated invitations and notices in Albanian. Since Albanian as an independent branch of the Indo-European language family differs significantly from Slavic languages, this further underscores the importance of carefully designed linguistically sensitive approaches in the inclusion of students and parents within the Slovenian educational context. Parents who immigrated from Kosovo are less frequently involved in cooperation with Slovenian schools, which is associated both with limited understanding of Slovenian and with differing experiences from the educational system of origin, where emphasis was placed primarily on direct personal contact with teachers. The Slovenian school environment, however, increasingly relies on digital platforms, which represents an additional barrier for many parents, particularly immigrants who have not yet mastered Slovenian. The results of the study indicate that the cooperation of parents from Kosovo with schools in Slovenia is largely shaped by socio-cultural factors and cannot be understood merely as an expression of parental (dis)interest, but rather as a reflection of structural and communicative factors, as well as the lack of systematic support for integration into existing forms of cooperation.
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