School Counselling for Immigrant Children in Primary Schools

Za učenca, ki se preseli v novo okolje, kjer začne obiskovati novo šolo in ne razume učnega jezika, je še toliko bolj pomembno, da se v šoli počuti varnega in sprejetega ter da čim hitreje prejme pomoč, ki jo nujno potrebuje za uspešno šolanje, tako od strokovnih delavcev kot od sošolcev in vrstnikov. V magistrskem delu raziskujem, kako se na različnih osnovnih šolah v Sloveniji poslužujejo svetovalnega dela z otroki priseljenci in kako na šolah spodbujajo medkulturno vključevanje. Na ta način želim ugotoviti raznolike prakse med osnovnimi šolami. V teoretičnem uvodu sem predstavila literaturo v povezavi s tematiko. Posvetila sem se različnim avtorjem, ki so v svojih delih poudarjali položaj otrok priseljencev v Sloveniji, področja svetovalnega dela z otroki priseljenci ter veščine in znanja svetovalnih delavcev. V nadaljevanju sem se posvetila področju vključevanja otrok priseljencev v osnovne šole, kakšne so njihove prilagoditve in oblike podpore v zakonodaji. Na koncu sem predstavila morebitne ovire pri vključevanju otrok priseljencev v osnovne šole in možnosti preventivnih programov, v katere se lahko otroci priseljenci vključijo. V empiričnem delu magistrskega dela sem izvedla raziskavo s pomočjo delno standardiziranih intervjujev, katerih podatke sem obdelala s kvalitativno analizo. V raziskavi je sodelovalo devet socialnih delavcev, ki so bili v času zbiranja podatkov od avgusta do septembra zaposleni v svetovalni službi in so imeli vsaj eno leto izkušenj dela z otroki priseljenci na osnovnih šolah v Sloveniji. V raziskavi sem ugotovila, da so otroci priseljenci ranljiva skupina, ki potrebuje na začetku dodatno skrb in podporo s strani svetovalnih delavcev, da se lažje vključi v šolsko okolje. Spoznala sem, da imajo na učni uspeh in vključenost otroka priseljenca močan vpliv empatija, spodbujanje učenja, medsebojno spoštovanje, vzpostavljen odnos in dvosmerna komunikacija ter skrb za korist otrok, ki jo prejemajo od svetovalnih delavcev in ostalih strokovnih delavcev na šoli. Pomembno je, da vsi otroci dobijo občutek, da so dobrodošli in zaželeni. Na ta način se krepi njihov občutek vrednosti in pripadnosti. Z raziskavo sem ugotovila, kako pomembno je, da svetovalni delavci na osnovnih šolah ozavestijo pomen razvoja pozitivnega in spoštljivega odnosa do vseh otrok ter da znajo spoštovati njihov socialni, kulturni, jezikovni in religiozen izvor. Pomembno je tudi, da šole predvsem ob podpori svetovalne službe učiteljem omogočijo, da se s svojimi predsodki soočijo in spoprimejo brez obsojanja ter da se jim ponudi podpora in pomoč pri njihovem premagovanju. Ena izmed pomembnejših ugotovitev je ta, da se svetovalni delavci pri delu z učenci priseljenci v Sloveniji srečujejo s številnimi ovirami in izzivi, vendar večinoma menijo, da dobro poznavanje jezika okolja ostaja ključno za uspešno integracijo priseljencev. Otroci priseljenci v osnovni šoli predstavljajo del šolske populacije, ki zaradi svoje specifičnosti potrebuje dodatno podporo v vzgojno-izobraževalnih procesih, zato je treba to tematiko pogosteje naslavljati in se z njo spoprijeti tako v praksi kot v raziskovanju. Glavni predlogi so, da svetovalni delavci še naprej uporabljajo inovativne metode dela z otroki priseljenci in da med sabo širijo dobro prakso. Sledijo naj principu, da se z različnimi dela različno. Smiselno je tudi predlagati zakonsko obvezno polletno uvajalno obdobje pred vstopom otroka v šolo, da se otrok navadi na novo okolje, se nauči osnovne komunikacije in se pripravi na šolsko okolje in klimo.It is extremely important for a pupil who moves into a new environment where they start attending a new school and do not understand the language of instruction to feel safe and accepted and to be ensured assistance as soon as possible and as required for successful school performance by professional workers, and their school mates and peers. In my master’s thesis, I study how different Slovenian primary schools approach school counselling for immigrant children and how they facilitate intercultural integration, thus determining different practises adopted by primary schools. In the theoretical introduction, I presented literature related to this topic. I focused on different authors who highlighted the situation of immigrant children in Slovenia, fields of counselling for immigrant children and skills of school counsellors. I went on to study the field of the integration of immigrant children into primary schools, their adjustments and forms of assistance outlined in relevant legislation. Finally, I presented potential obstacles in the integration of immigrant children into primary schools and possible preventive programmes these children can participate in. In the empirical part of this master’s thesis, I conducted a study based on semi-standardised interviews, with the acquired data processed in a qualitative analysis. The research included nine social workers who acted as school counsellors during the data collection period, namely from August until September, and had at least one year of experience of working with immigrant children in Slovenian primary schools. In the research, I determined that immigrant children are a vulnerable group which, at the beginning, needs additional care and support provided by school counsellors in order to fit into the school environment better. I realised that school performance and integration of immigrant children are strongly affected by empathy, learning facilitation, mutual respect, established relationship, and two-way communication as well as care for the benefit of children provided by school counsellors and other professional workers at school. It is important that children feel welcome and desirable. In this way, their feeling of self-worth and belonging strengthens. By conducting this research, I determined how important it is for primary school counsellors to realise the importance of developing a positive and respectful relationship towards all children and being able to respect their social, cultural, linguistic, and religious origins. In addition, it is important that schools, mainly with the support of its counselling services, enable their teachers to confront and challenge prejudice without judgement, and to be offered support in overcoming it. One of the most important findings, however, is that school counsellors, when working with immigrant children in Slovenia, face different obstacles and challenges, but they mostly believe that being familiar with the language of the environment remains the key to successful integration of immigrants. Immigrant children in primary school represent a part of the school population which, due to its specificity, requires additional support in educational processes, which is why this topic should be addressed more commonly and dealt with both in practise and in research. The main recommendations arising from this thesis are that school counsellors should continue to adopt innovative work methods when working with immigrant children and disseminate examples of best practise, following the principle of treating different people differently. It would also be reasonable to require by law a six-month induction period prior to one’s start of school, to enable children to get accustomed to the new environment, acquire basic language skills, and prepare for the school environment and climate