Multicultural and Multilingual Education: Inclusion Issues and the Online and Distance Learning Challenge

Global migration and recurrent refugee crises have reshaped national demographics and injected unprecedented cultural and linguistic diversity into contemporary classrooms. These developments expose critical gaps in existing educational systems and demand comprehensive reform. The intertwined phenomena of multiculturalism and multilingualism—which the Council of Europe call plurilingual pedagogies (CoE, 2024)—point out the urgency of redesigning curricula, instructional materials, and assessment practices to meet the needs of immigrant, refugee, and minority populations, as well as those with special educational needs. In this context, the Council of Europe recommendation (2024) emphasizes the value of plurilingualism and interculturalism and advocates for educational policies and practices that recognize and build upon the linguistic repertoires of all learners. Plurilingual approaches, which encourage the use and appreciation of multiple languages in educational settings, are central to promoting inclusion, equity, and intercultural understanding (Palaiologou & Kostoulas, 2024). Additionally, for teachers, multilingual classroom management is a daily issue, as there is usually no clear guidance on the teaching practices which they should use (Parveen et al., 2022; Norozi, 2023a) during their multilingual teaching. Although teachers perceive linguistic diversity as an advantage, they continue to maintain monolingual classroom practices (Szelei et al., 2021), which causes stress in multilingual students (Parveen et al., 2022; Norozi, 2021).

In light of these developments, education systems face the need to adapt efficiently to meet the needs of diverse student populations (Palaiologou, 2023; Kostoulas, 2019; Norozi, 2019,). This can involve enriching their language education curricula and teaching materials, with inclusive pedagogies that aim at empowering marginalized and vulnerable groups such as migrants, refugees, and ethnic minorities (Palaiologou 2023; Norozi, 2023a). Such challenges echo the work of Cummins (2000), who argued that educational success among minority students is strongly linked to the degree of affirmation and support that their cultural and linguistic backgrounds receive in multicultural school settings. Moreover, online and distance learning (ODL) methodologies offer an innovative and flexible solution, particularly for learners who face economic, social, and language barriers, in order to access various forms of either formal or non-formal education. For refugees and migrants who often engage in full-time work or face displacement, digital education platforms provide essential opportunities for lifelong learning and personal development (UNESCO, 2023). Therefore, integrating ODL into mainstream education policies is not only a matter of technological advancement but a necessity for equitable access and active participation.

This Special Issue invites theoretically grounded and empirically robust contributions that will advance inclusive education in multicultural and multilingual settings. Ιn this context, we welcome research concerning the management of multilingual students at all educational levels and the promotion of plurilingualism, as well as long-term inclusion. Furthermore, research that holistically presents the cognitive, social, emotional, and psychological dimensions of learning and investigates how schools can foster resilience, identity formation, and a sense of belonging among culturally and linguistically diverse learners, as well as proposing metrics and assessment tools for monitoring learner well-being alongside academic progress, is well accepted (Norozi, 2023b).

Research on the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in multicultural and multilingual education (Yu et. al., 2024) is urgently needed. We also invite research that demonstrates how AI can facilitate real-time translation, formative feedback, and intelligent tutoring—especially in distance learning contexts. Research that focuses on online and distance learning (ODL) innovations and documents best practices in delivering equitable ODL to migrants and refugees with special educational needs who face temporal, geographic, or occupational constraints is also welcome. By bringing together diverse methodological perspectives, this Special Issue aims to generate actionable insights for policymakers, curriculum designers, teacher educators, and school leaders. We encourage submissions that not only critique existing paradigms but also propose context-sensitive innovations to foster genuine inclusion and support the holistic development of all learners in our increasingly plural societies.

In this line, the Special Issue “Multiculturalism, Multilingualism, and Inclusive Education in the Context of Migration” aims to explore the dynamically evolving educational landscape that is shaped by ongoing migration flows and multicultural societal transformations. The Guest Editors are keen to receive theoretical and empirical papers which focus on plurilingual and intercultural benefits, as well as on constraints and solutions in multilingual education, especially with regard to minoritized, linguistically othered, and marginalized populations. 

THEMATIC AXIS

• Plurilingual pedagogies and inclusive curriculum design in multicultural classrooms.
• Opportunities and challenges in digital and distance learning solutions for migrants and refugees.
• Competences and frameworks in teacher training for linguistic and cultural diversity: competencies and frameworks.
• Language policy and educational equity in host countries.
• The role of L1 maintenance in academic achievement and identity formation.
• Community-based and non-formal educational approaches for displaced populations.
• Assessment practices for multilingual learners: innovations and ethical considerations.
• Intercultural dialog and conflict resolution in diverse school settings.
• Integration of immigrants and refugee students through arts, media, and storytelling.
• Comparative studies on national responses to refugee education in Europe and at international/global levels.

References

Council of Europe. (2024). Plurilingual and intercultural education.

https://www.coe.int/en/web/lang-migrants/plurilingual-and-intercultural-education

Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire.

Multilingual Matters.

Extra, G., & Gorter, D. (2008). Multilingual Europe: Facts and policies. Mouton de Gruyter.

Kostoulas, A. (Ed.). (2019). Challenging boundaries in language education. Springer.

Norozi, S. A. (2023a) The important building blocks of newcomer immigrant students’ education in the Norwegian context..Frontiers in Education

Volume 7 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.1084053

Norozi, S. A. (2023b) The Nexus of Holistic Wellbeing and School Education: A Literature-Informed Theoretical Framework..  Societies, 2023, 13(5), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13050113

Norozi, S. A. (2021) Interacting with newly arrived migrant pupils: a sociocultural perspective, Intercultural Education 32 (2), 23 245.   https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2020.1856040

Norozi, S.A. (2019). How do Norwegian reception schools cater to the academic and integration needs of newly arrived minority language pupils; Cases from two municipalities. European Education, 51(3), 231 -251. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/10564934.2019.1619464

Palaiologou, N. (Ed.). (2023). Rethinking Intercultural Education in Times of Migration and Displacement. Cambridge Scholars Publishing: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Palaiologou, N. & Kostoulas, A. (2024). Migration and Multilingual Education: An Intercultural Perspective. Societies. ISSN 2075-4698.

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/societies/special_issues/U985CR5J23

Parveen, A., Dar, M. A., Rasool, I., & Jan, S. (2022). Challenges in the multilingual classroom across the curriculum. In E. Charamba (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching in multicultural and multilingual contexts (pp. 1-12). IGI Global.

Szelei, N., Pinho, A. S., & Tinoca, L. A. D. F. (2021). Teaching in multilingual classrooms: strategies from a case study in Portugal. Revista Brasileira de Educação, 26, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-24782021260038

UNESCO. (2023). Refugee and migrant education: Inclusive and innovative solutions for

learning continuity. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Yu, H., Guo, Y., Yang, H., Zhang, W., Dong, Y. (2024). Can ChatGPT

Revolutionize Language Learning? Unveiling the Power of AI in Multilingual

Education Through User Insights and Pedagogical Impact. European Journal of

Education. Research, Development and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12749

Dr. Achilleas Kostoulas
Dr. Sultana Noorozi
Dr. Nektaria Palaiologou
Guest Editors

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• multilingual education
• multicultural education
• diversity in education
• migrants
• minority learners
• migrant learners with special education needs
• holistic development
• well-being
• family–school partnerships
• plurilingual pedagogies
• inclusive pedagogy
• artificial intelligence (AI) in education
• online and distance learning (ODL)
• context-sensitive innovations
• educational policy and reform
• teacher training