3. Nihad Bunar:

Language development and participation

Barriers and opportunities for newly arrived students in the Nordics

This chapter summarises insights from the webinar presentation by Professor Nihad Bunar, Department of Special Education, Stockholm University.

Professor Nihad Bunar from Stockholm University focuses on how migration and integration interact and influence one another. Bunar shares findings from his own and his colleagues’ research on newly arrived students and their language acquisition.

Professor Bunar begins by giving an overview of the role of language in fostering inclusion. He notes that one of the best definitions of inclusion comes from the newly arrived students themselves: to become just like anybody else.

When asked about their dreams, fears, and aspirations, they say: We just want to be like anybody else.

Nihad Bunar examines inclusion from five perspectives: policy discussions, physical spaces, individually tailored support, the removal of barriers within a broader school context, and subjective perceptions and individual practices.

Regarding policy discussions, Nihad Bunar states that, at least in Sweden, policymakers have adopted a more critical stance on inclusion in recent years. They argue that low academic achievement or behavioural issues are linked to inclusion, and the common question raised is whether inclusion has ‘gone too far’. I challenge you all to think about this: Has inclusion truly gone too far, or have we ever genuinely attempted to establish a truly inclusive system?

Scientific literature on inclusion consistently emphasises the importance of shared physical spaces. Children need to come together to develop social relationships, shared norms, values, and a common language. Nihad Bunar adds that, while this is true, merely having a physical space is not sufficient for true inclusion to occur.

We put all the kids in the same school, in the same classroom, and then we say we have achieved inclusion. But it’s a sink-or-swim policy. Newly arrived children will sink without proper support.

Therefore, Nihad Bunar argues that we need to combine physical space with individually tailored support, recognising the needs of each individual child. The same applies to removing barriers within school cultures. There are informal barriers that hinder the genuine inclusion of these children, such as bullying, exclusion, discrimination, and racism. We need to remove these barriers.

Nihad Bunar also maintains that we have to engage directly with newly arrived children, asking whether they feel included. Personal feelings also impact the overall sense of becoming like everyone else.

Second-language acquisition: Not merely an individual endeavour

When learning a second language, newly arrived children face both obstacles and opportunities. Professor Nihad Bunar states that newly arrived children are generally motivated and ambitious to learn a second language. They realise that learning the language is important for helping their family and forming a new identity in the country they have moved to.

Bunar also argues that these children generally have the ability to learn a new language, regardless of social background, traumatic experiences, educational history, migration status, or cultural differences. What the newly arrived might lack is the opportunity to learn a second language, as well as adequate support for this.

In many cases, the schools provide both opportunity and support – but not always. The acquisition of a second language is not just an individual endeavour; it is also a pedagogical and social practice embedded in a broader school context.

Figure 1. What is needed for second-language learning according to Nihad Bunar.

Hard work	→	Yes, but is it enough?
Motivation	→	Meaning, Trusting your own abilities
Opportunity	→	Organized and informal learning: Practice, Repetition, Support, Encouragement
Strategy	→	Pedagogical (organized learning) and Individual (practices and choices)

Source: Based on Nihad Bunar’s presentation at the webinar The role of language for inclusion – How can we strengthen language development in the Nordic languages among students from migrant backgrounds? on 29 October 2025.

Professor Nihad Bunar outlines a model of what is needed to learn a second language (Figure 1). He categorises the requirements into personal assets such as hard work and motivation, as well as support in the form of opportunity and strategy.

Hard work is necessary; each child bears their own responsibility and must dedicate considerable time to learning. Motivation, based on purpose, is also crucial; you need a reason to learn the language. Naturally, the newly arrived also need to trust their own abilities and not give up.

Besides these individual assets, the newly arrived children also need opportunities. Nihad Bunar identifies an opportunity in both formal and informal learning, where informal learning occurs with peers, and the importance of physical space becomes relevant.

Additionally, Bunar emphasises that children need a structured language-learning strategy, including skilled teachers who can provide appropriate challenges and support as needed.

Core challenges of second-language learning

Nihad Bunar identifies factors that hinder newly arrived children from learning a second language. These include segregation and enrolment in disadvantaged schools, the indiscriminate use of collective organisational and pedagogical models, a limited understanding of migrant children’s needs and low expectations, poorly trained teachers, chaotic school organisation, a lack of clarity about the support required, and stigmatisation of their first language. In disadvantaged schools, children face double barriers, as they must manage their own language learning while also dealing with the problems of the school as a whole.’

The question of whether to keep all newly arrived children in separate classes or to distribute them across regular classes has no universal answer, Bunar argues.

Separate education classes could be a barrier, as children need bridges to mainstream classes. This also happens if the school indiscriminately uses collective organisational and pedagogical models, such as treating all newly arrived students as a homogeneous group and assigning them to ordinary classes, when some of these children might need extra support.

We cannot follow colour-blind pedagogy, thinking that everyone is the same and refusing to see differences in children. We must always recognise what the child needs – and develop strategies based on that.

‘Treat their first language as an asset, not a liability’

Nihad Bunar emphasises that teachers should not view newly arrived children as a blank slate, but rather recognise their existing knowledge and the fact that they already speak one language in addition to the second they are trying to learn. Bunar contends that newly arrived children must be recognised as learners, not just as language learners.

We must harness the first language for the children’s progress in school and at the same time work on the second language. We cannot only focus on the second language first, only to later return to progress in the school subjects. In that case, some children will never be able to return to normal education.

Among the factors that promote opportunities and strategies, Nihad Bunar returns to the concept of inclusion, becoming just like anybody else, utilising all its parts, from shared physical spaces to tailored individual support.

Teachers must also be well-educated and supported by their local administration. They need to rely on their students’ willingness to learn. Additionally, Nihad Bunar states that the school should foster a positive outlook for the future.

I am aware that these are not revolutionary suggestions, but ultimately, these are the basic requirements; nothing else functions without them.

Key sources and recommended reading

Bunar, N. (2019). Education of refugee and asylum-seeking children. Oxford research encyclopedia of education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.118

Bunar, N., & Juvonen, P. (2021). ‘Not (yet) ready for the mainstream’: Newly arrived migrant students in a separate educational program. Journal of Education Policy, 37(6), 986–1008. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2021.1947527

Crul, M., Frans, L., Özge, B., Bunar, N., Keskiner, E., Kokkali, I., Schneider, J., & Shuayb, M. (2018). How school system differences affect the incorporation of refugee children in education in Europe, the Middle East and Turkey. Comparative Migration Studies, 7(10). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-018-0110-6

Dávila, L. T., & Bunar, N. (2020). Cross-district analysis of the roles of multilingual classroom assistants in Sweden. European Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2019-0012

Iamroz, O., & Bunar, N. (2025). Extended basic education programme for newly arrived migrant students in Norway: Between contextual constraints, discursive constructions and policy enactment. Education Inquiry, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2025.2550111

Pinson, H., Bunar, N., & Devine, D. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook of research on migration and education. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Tajic, D., & Bunar, N. (2020). Do both ‘get it right´? Inclusion of newly arrived migrant students in Swedish primary schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 27(3), 288–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1841838