Integration of newly arrived students in primary and secondary education in the Netherlands: The challenges that teachers face and their strategies to overcome them

Abstract

The integration of newly arrived migrant students (NAMS) in a new educational system has become commonplace in the education literature. Teachers are the agents of inclusive practices to the changing demographic of schooling. Yet, little is known about their struggles when teaching NAMS. This study investigates the challenges that teachers face when it comes to the integration of refugee and migrant children in the Dutch educational system, as NAMS constitute a significate portion of the student community. At first, the Dutch education system is shortly described and an overview of the NAMS’ programs is displayed. Furthermore, theories of multicultural and intercultural approaches in regard to inclusive education highlight the importance of teachers’ agency and self-efficacy in multiethnic classrooms. For the research, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers from the varied level of newcomers’ education. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, using inductive and deductive coding to identify patterns and themes. The findings suggest that teachers face demanding classroom circumstances, in many cases, there is not enough professional support and the extent of training and education for the teachers is insufficient. As a result, an organized policy towards NAMS education is essential, ensuring additional support and specialized training for teachers.