Immigration is part of the UK's history but with the expansion of the European Union (EU) over the last decade to include a number of Eastern European countries, many Eastern European families have migrated to the UK. The school in which this research was based had seen a huge rise in the number of Slovakian pupils attending, many of whom were Roma. The research focused on how to promote the inclusion of these Slovakian pupils. Through action research I worked with nine staff, four teachers, four teaching assistants (TAs) and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), and together we discussed the issues they experienced in promoting the inclusion of Slovakian pupils. I also gathered the views of five Slovakian children through a focus group and used visual methods to promote a more child-friendly design. Staff used the information gathered from their collaborative reflection and from the children to devise actions that could promote inclusion further. Thematic analysis of the children's experiences of school suggested that they enjoyed and valued coming to school because of the social and academic opportunities it brought. However, it also indicated that the children experienced vulnerability due to barriers they faced and changes they had endured, and that this vulnerability was in part displayed through the negative behaviour of fighting. Thematic analysis of staff meetings indicated that their perceptions of Slovakian culture changed, as did their self-efficacy towards promoting inclusion, through their participation in the research and system-Wide changes to the school context. Findings raised implications for school staff and Educational Psychologists (EPs) working in diverse communities and highlighted the value of action research in such contexts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:618721 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Gaulter, Amanda |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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