Minoritized voices in Norwegian Higher Education

• In Event: Minoritized Students in Higher Education: Cross-Continental Perspectives

Proposal

In the second case, a professor of teacher education at a private university in an urban center of Norway presents findings of a qualitative study with a diverse group of students, many of whom are considered minoritized including first-generation immigrant populations (e.g., Somali-Norwegian), immigrants to Norway, and international students. All participants were pursuing either a bachelor degree in social studies or a 5-year teacher education master degree. The empirical basis of the study is an intervention – based educational design study, characterized by collaboration between stakeholders aiming to simultaneously develop both new theoretical insights and practical solutions to serious teaching and learning challenges (McCanny & Reeves, 2020, p. 83). The study is based on the cooperation between two teacher-educators, involving students as participants in the study. The challenges we wished to find solutions for were related to our students’ capabilities as individuals, teachers and citizens participating in a democratic society. Based on the experiences of marginalization of groups and individuals in learning situations, we wanted to include more students as active learners in the classroom who could also contribute with their stories and perspectives. Findings showed that the different elements of the intervention influenced students’ capabilities related to their personal and professional development, as well as their capacity to become active participants in non- hegemonic democratic processes. Furthermore, the study reveals that the teaching methods employed stimulated discussions about the fact that in diverse student groups, you will need a variety of teaching and learning approaches, and various approaches will enable a diversity of students to engage while considering different preferences. This realization emerged at two levels, one related to personal development, the other as a crucial learning point for each teacher’s and student’s professional development in a community of practice.

Author

• Merethe Skaras, Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society