Analysis of teaching practices in primary welcoming classes: what actions to enable the power to act?

• In Event: Experiences of Immigrant Families and Students in Inclusive Education

Proposal

The general objective of this paper presentation is to explore and understand the teaching practices implemented in welcoming classes in Quebec to support the socio-scholar and linguistic inclusion newly arrived students, immigrant and refugee students. Indeed, Quebec welcomed approximately 51,100 immigrants in 2018 (Institut de la Statistique du Québec, 2019). There are many reasons that pose challenges to the academic progress of newly arrived students. They face the challenges of learning French quickly (Kanouté et al., 2016) and adapting to new cultural and school norms. Most of them, especially who are studying in French for the first time and who do not have sufficient command of this language, go through a welcoming class before being integrated into a regular class (Collin et al., 2011). Welcoming classes consist of helping students acquire minimum language skills that will enable them to progress later to the regular class and to develop in them a positive attitude towards the Francophone community (Armand, 2005). As the closed-type welcoming class is the most common form in primary and secondary schools in Québec, especially for the first year of integration, students feel marginalized and their interactions with their peers in regular classes become limited (Armand et al., 2010). It is important to emphasize that the welcoming class brings together students who differ, among other things, in terms of age, level of education, mother tongue, culture of origin, cultural background and migratory route, etc. The difficulties experienced by these newly arrived students are not only related to learning a new language, but also to understanding different norms underlying the learning process (Aaseb and Willibergh, 2022; Arbour, 2013; Gorgorio and Planas, 2005) and asymmetrical social interactions experienced as devaluing (de Abreu and Elbers, 2005; Gorgorio and Planas, 2005). For example, refugee students have a high probability of encountering learning difficulties in school as a result of the traumas they have experienced (Papazian-Zohrabian, 2016). Thus, the role of teachers is central in this regard. Finkelstein et al., (2019) consider that they themselves are largely responsible for implementing inclusive practices in the classroom. They are thus called upon to adjust their teaching to meet the diverse needs of their students (Ainscow, 2005; André, 2018; Armand, 2013; Bergeron, 2019; Gremion and Kalubi, 2015; Plaisance, 2015; Tremblay, 2020). However, the issue of implementing inclusive practices faces several challenges, as it requires the development of an inclusive school climate requiring, among other things, changes in the conventional role of the school, its policies and its program as well as in the role of the teacher. Indeed, taking diversity into account to facilitate the academic, linguistic and social integration of students is an ambiguous process that places teachers in a dilemma (Kamano and Benimmas, 2017) and poses educational and social challenges (Akkari, 2009). This presentation is issued from a research project (2023-2025) about teaching practices analysis in primary welcoming classes. To meet the objective of this paper presentation, I refer to the framework of inclusive practices defined by Finkelstein et al., (2021) as being the set of strategies and behaviors that teachers use in order to enable students with diverse to be able to learn in regular classes. These practices make the school responsible for adapting to its students (Borri-Anadon et al., 2020; Ramel, 2015) to help them overcome barriers to their participation and learning (Ainscow, 2005) and guarantee them access to knowledge regardless of their differences and difficulties (Issaieva and Scipion, 2020). Like Ainscow (2005), I situate these practices in a process whose ultimate goal is the search for better ways to respond to diversity, itself conceived as a rich stimulus that promotes learning (Ainscow, 2005). A process that gives more responsibility to teachers in welcoming classes who will be called upon to collaborate and adjust their practices to be able to meet the needs of their students.
As methodology, an interpretative qualitative method is used (Savoie-Zajc, 2011; Van der Maren, 2003). Comprehensive interviews (Kaufmann, 2007) were used as a data collection tool with four teachers in welcoming classes in elementary school in Quebec. The comprehensive interview makes it possible to exchange with teachers in depth around a theme using reflections and hypotheses (Kaufmann, 2007). About 60 to 90 minutes on Zoom, the interview covers five main themes: 1) teacher’ profile; 2) teaching practices to promote the socio-scholar and linguistic inclusion of students; 3) reasons behind implementing these practices; 4) challenges of implementing practices and what are obstacles for students’ inclusion; 5) relationships with parents and how to engage them. The data obtained through the interviews are analyzed using a progressive qualitative data analysis process (Paillé, 1994). A grid of five preliminary categories developed from the Guide for Classroom Observation of Inclusive Teachers (Finkelstein et al., 2021) is used and the new categories developed from the new practices of the participants are all considered. The presentation will focus on some results issued from data analysis (analysis is still in progress). Results highlight 1) teachers’ perceptions of student diversity and socio-scholar inclusion; 2) the practices put in place by teachers in welcoming classes to promote the learning of newly arrived students; 3) the systemic challenges that teachers face and how these teachers develop their power to act on the challenges to turn them into learning opportunities.

Author

• Rola Koubeissy, University of Montreal