Cognitive-inclusive approaches to cross-language awareness in the linguistic integration of children with migrant background

The research project is conceived as a response to the changing global social reality associated with an increasingly multi-ethnic society, caused also by continuous migration flows and the changes in the functioning of the world order in the light of the transition from a multilateral to a multipolar world. This consequently affects national social policies and strategies. The integration of immigrant children into the Slovenian education system is implemented through the Guidelines for the Integration of Immigrant Children in Kindergartens and Schools. Slovenia aims to integrate newly arrived immigrant children who have insufficient or no command of the language(s) of schooling through short-term introductory classes into the regular curriculum in all subjects as early as possible. Despite the good practices, OECD reports on the performance and well-being of immigrant children and youth show that Slovenia is one of the countries where the low academic performance of pupils with an immigrant background is particularly pronounced. The aim of the present research project is to enhance and improve current methods of linguistic integration for children with an immigrant background by focusing on inclusive and cognitive approaches to language learning and teaching in order to improve their academic performance and reduce their social exclusion. The objectives of our research will be achieved through targeted, intensive cross-language awareness training for all children in the school community. The fundamental purpose of inclusion is to engage everyone in this training, i.e. native and pupils with an immigrant background. To this end, the project will develop and test a specific didactic approach and teaching techniques for cross-language awareness training that take into account the cognitive aspects of first language conceptualisation for pupils in the second and third triad of primary school. Methodologically, the project will be implemented through interventions by the researcher in the school community (teachers, support staff and pupils), where a test will first be carried out to assess the level of awareness of conceptual categories, i.e. archetypes, that can be identified within a linguistic-cognitive parallel. In order to train and raise the level of cross-language awareness, we will develop a special toolkit divided into 5 thematic components corresponding to the components of language and communication: morphology and syntax, semantics, phonology, pragmatics and nonverbal communication. Following the assessment of the level of cross-language awareness in schools, training will be provided in the form of workshops to strengthen cross-language awareness in line with collaborative (active) learning approaches. The content generated during the learning process, cross-language awareness workshops, will be stored by each learner in their own digital or physical cross-language awareness portfolio and will serve as the basis for the design of a digital, expandable handbook for educators to train and develop cross-language awareness. In addition to the digital handbook, the project will also set up a digital platform for a broader discussion on cognitive divergences between languages. The platform will be designed to invite the public to actively participate in the scientific endeavours of the proposed project, in line with the principles of citizen science. By involving students, i.e. future pedagogical professionals, in the research activities, we will also contribute to training future educators for concrete teaching situations, with a focus on teaching children with an immigrant background. In Slovenia, unlike abroad, there are currently no specific study programmes that emphasise the importance of these skills. The project therefore also has the potential to draw attention to this gap in the education system and pave the way for substantial improvements in the future.