Educator’s perspective on educating newly arrived immigrant students in Finland

In the last decade, Finland has seen a wave of immigrants that it is struggling to integrate (Kunwar, 2020; Rovamo et al., 2023; Statistics Finland, 2023). However, between the political and economic discussions on the subject, school teachers’ voices continue to call for assistance (Sinkkonen &amp; Kyttälä, 2014; Taylor, Wingren, et al., 2023). They tell a story of problematic language programs, leading to inequitable outcomes (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 2022; Helakorpi et al., 2023). Our research sheds light on the issues they face and a means of support (Acquah et al., 2020; Acquah &amp; Katz, 2020; Taylor, 2024; Taylor, Acquah, et al., 2023; Taylor, Wingren, et al., 2023). For example, results from a thematic analysis highlighted a lack of support regarding materials, training, or cooperation with a system that views immigrants as workers, not students (Taylor et al., 2023). Further classroom observations confirmed teachers’ statements and shed further light on practices not aligned with Finnish bildung or research (Taylor, 2024). However, research into digital resources gave direction for student-centred designs but highlighted the need for material to be teacher-oriented (Acquah &amp; Katz, 2020; Taylor, Acquah, et al., 2023).<br/><br/>The current study examines Finnish educator’s perspective on teaching newly arrived immigrants. Our ongoing research involves three data types focused on teacher’s perspectives. The first is a continuance and then a re-evaluation of interviews with immigrant preparatory and mainstream subject teachers. These interviews will aid content development. We will combine this with data from a focus group held with Swedish-speaking teachers in a Finnish municipality with high numbers of immigrants. This data provides further insight into teachers’ current situation as they support student immigration. Lastly, a re-evaluation of the observational data collected from teachers across Finland in light of these themes will help create a practical design for the environment.<br/><br/>Unable to change the economic forces driving immigration, we focus instead on modernizing education via technology. Our current aim is to create teacher-centred digital classroom material for<br/><br/>immigrant preparatory education classes in Finnish-Swedish-speaking schools. Our digital language learning game, Sprok, is meant to act as a digital workbook for teachers and a role-playing game for students. By analyzing municipal curricula, the current materials used in language learning, and understanding classroom teachers’ needs, we are designing practical support material for teachers based on their perspectives. A resultant thematic analysis will provide insight into what features teachers require from digital learning materials and how educational content can be delivered in a way that benefits teachers and students.