Review article
Integration of Disadvantaged Groups into the General Education System – Teaching the Croatian Language to the Children of Foreigners and Asylum-Seekers
Ana Paljušaj
; OŠ Podmurvice Rijeka Rijeka, Hrvatska
Nada Kegalj
; OŠ Podmurvice Rijeka Rijeka, Hrvatska
Abstract
The main goal of the research was to present the project “Students’ integration into a multicultural school environment”, implemented in elementary school Podmurvice in Rijeka, in which foreign students and asylum seekers (N= 26) were learning the Croatian language for over seventeen months. The project was funded by Instrument for Pre/Accession Assistance – component IV (Human Resources). The level of knowledge of the Croatian language was assessed with Peabody test in the beginning and at the end of the project. The obtained results clearly showed that a longer period of learning is associated with a higher success rate at the evaluation, as well as a significant improvement in the knowledge of the Croatian language in between the two periods of assessing. At the end of the project, the foreign students and asylum seekers have self-evaluated their level of the Croatian language as excellent and very good, they showed satisfaction with it, and considered themselves well integrated in the school environment. The satisfaction with the project is also present in foreign students and asylum seekers’ parents, teachers, expert associates, and students attending the school in which the project was implemented. Furthermore, implications of the obtained results as well as further recommendations are stated.
Keywords
asylum seekers; Croatian language; elementary school students; foreign students; integration
Hrčak ID:
179038
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2016.
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