Being Moved to the Outer Edge – Experiences of Working with Newly Arrived Students in a Newly Diverse School
Keywords:
Newly arrived students; communities of practice; legitimate peripheral participation; diverse schools; compulsory schoolAbstract
The purpose of the study is to examine and analyse teachers’
and their principal’s experiences of receiving a group of newly arrived
students at a newly diverse school, in order to highlight how this
impacts professional practice and what is important to take into account
when receiving and teaching newly arrived students. The study is based
on experiences from a research-and development program, with
additional data gathered from semi-structured interviews with eight
teachers and a principal at a rural school. The theoretical point of
departure is Wenger’s (1998) theory on communities of practice and
legitimate peripheral participation. The results show that the teachers
were not prepared for the sudden change in the practice, and that the
teachers’ were frustrated with being limited as professionals. The
change wasn’t merely a change in student demographics but a
significant change in the community or practice. Analytically, we
understand this as being moved to the outer edge, from being central
participants in the practice. The result shows that such a change requires
focus on preparations and structures for reflection and support, so that
teachers are able to again become competent actors and develop their
teaching, in relation to newly arrived students.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.7.6
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