School integration of immigrant children in Belgium

Abstract

AbstractThis study examines the social, learning and emotional needs of immigrant children enrolled in an educational preparatory programme before transitioning to the formal school system in Belgium. Data for this study were collected through 12 semi‐structured interviews with teachers and programme coordinators in four secondary schools and four reception centres in the greater Brussels region in 2020. Findings reveal that schools and teachers are increasingly aware of the complex needs of immigrant children and can address these needs through various channels, such as organizing school and extra‐curricular activities, adapting teaching approaches to match children's individual learning requirements, and incorporating the language and culture of students into the learning process. These efforts foster a relationship of trust between teachers and students, creating an environment in which children learn and feel secure. However, several risk factors, including the lack of teacher training for working with immigrant children, insufficient guidance of children through the programme, the need to motivate children to continue learning, the absence of methodological tools for teaching children with low literacy rates, the mixture of children of different ages, and unaddressed emotional trauma, could potentially impede the learning and school integration process of immigrant children.