Experiences of Epistemic Injustice among Minority Language Students Aged 6–16 in the Nordics: A Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Scandinavian education systems are recognized as being particularly inclusive. Nevertheless, an inclusive approach to education risks adopting a patronizing attitude that silences the voices of the very people who should be included. To discuss the role of epistemic justice in inclusion, we investigated current knowledge about the epistemic injustice experienced by students from immigrant backgrounds in Scandinavia; teacher perceptions of those students; and whether such perceptions influence student–teacher interactions. Do these perceptions lead to disparities? Method: A literature review was conducted focused on studies about the Nordic countries; teacher perceptions of students from immigrant backgrounds aged 6–16; and student–teacher interaction. The corpus included papers in English and the Nordic languages. Eight papers were included and rated by two independent authors. Results: The findings show that teacher perceptions of students from immigrant backgrounds influence student–teacher interaction in both verbal and non-verbal ways. The negative perceptions that teachers held of students from immigrant backgrounds led to experiences of epistemic injustice and epistemic exclusion. The literature provided no information on disparities in special needs education or assessment. Conclusions: Due to the limited literature on this topic, further research needs to be undertaken in order to fully understand experiences of epistemic injustice in schools. Further research into why students from immigrant backgrounds feel excluded and why they are lagging behind is also required.