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This paper presents an overview of approaches and proposals to improve the integration of migrant children in schools in Spain and it is linked to the European research project Migrant Children and Communities in a Transforming Europe (MiCREATE). It focuses on a part of the research in which stakeholders were interviewed. Based on the needs of migrant children and practices already implemented in Spain, experts from different fields problematised and proposed improvements in current policies and practices in education. The main conclusions indicate that a more holistic and transversal approach to the inclusion of migrants is needed, as well as better coordination between institutions in different contexts and areas of action. This implies rethinking inclusive practices and involving children's families and taking their environment into consideration, as well as supporting educational practices that foster a sense of belonging among migrant children and their families in schools, the community, and society. Finally, the paper highlights the importance of gathering data from stakeholders in different fields of expertise and areas of action in order to obtain a more complex and insightful overview of the phenomenon under study.

Immigrant minority (IM) languages have a significant presence in certain European regions. Nonetheless, these languages are not usually included in the school curriculum. This paper aims to analyse the studies published between 2010 and 2020 considering IM languages in multilingual European education contexts. The method included a search of academic papers published in the databases ERIC, Web of Science and Scopus, which yielded 42 studies. The studies were analysed by considering: (1) the demographic characteristics of the countries where the studies were conducted, (2) the sociolinguistic or psycholinguistic focus of the papers in relation to the European country, and (3) the characteristics of the bi-multilingual education programme including IM languages. The results indicate that: (1) the demographic characteristics of the country are not strictly related to the number of studies published, (2) most studies have a sociolinguistic approach even though many studies analyse both sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic factors, and (3) only seven multilingual education programmes including IM languages were described in these papers. We conclude that there is a lack of research focusing on IM languages in educational settings and discuss how addressing these gaps could create opportunities for building equitable multilingual communities in Europe.

Thanks to the intercultural training of secondary school teachers, it has been possible to improve the inclusion of immigrant students in school classrooms. Reality shows that greater attention to this type of student by teachers, as well as by other colleagues, considerably improves their academic success. It also favours greater personal development within the socio-environmental context in which they live. The Erasmus + Quammelot project, after planning and executing a specific training course for Secondary Education teachers, includes the results obtained in several Spanish schools, among them the IES Torreblanca. These results have been obtained attending to the personal and academic needs of immigrant students. This work gathers the main results obtained in three of the didactic interventions developed along the eight modules that compose the training of the participating teachers. Throughout these three didactic proposals, information units have been collected referring to the learning of the attitudinal dimension at an initial moment (M1) and at the end of each proposal (M2). After the analysis of the information obtained, it has been possible to verify that the motivation, interest and participation of the students improves notably, regardless of whether or not they are immigrant students. [Paper presented was presented at the ERPA International Congresses on Education (April 10-12, 2020).]

Intercultural studies have underexplored the issue of children's theatre as a tool for symbolic representations of (new, hybrid) identities. In this paper, I analyze two theatrical productions addressing both Spanish society and Romanian diaspora (first/second generation) to answer these questions: how are diasporic identities re-constructed in literary works written in the country of origin and translated by diaspora translators for mixed audiences? How useful are these products for bilingual/bicultural children and adolescents in their search for new spaces of belonging? How can educators incorporate them? Methodology envisages translators' decisions (titles, names, prosody); imagology (text/performance) and reception (in-depth interviews and survey).

Muslims may not experience integration or assimilation in European countries, as they have certain values regarding hijab, eating restrictions, and lifestyle. They may therefore face more challenges than other migrants. With the insight that religiosity may have an impact on migrants' national and/or ethnic identities, we look at the role of religion in acculturation. The study investigated emerging patterns and challenges in sociocultural adaptation processes, including host-community interactions with (Iranian) migrants and Iranian international PhD students' future intentions. Positive evaluations of the attitudes of Spaniards towards Iranians are thought to improve the drive to seek out intergroup contact and facilitate integration or assimilation in Spain. The paper's key finding is that religion has an impact on Iranian international students. It is possible to imagine religion as a unifying factor that binds many migrant populations under a single ethnic identity. When regarded as a threat to the migrants' ethnic identity, it also appears to create social distance between the migrants and the local population. The results of this study can be used to address factors that threaten successful acculturation and boost those that encourage sociocultural adaptation and learning the local language.

This study is part of the QuamMELOT Erasmus+ Project, whose objective is to improve the educational and social inclusion of immigrant minors in general and unaccompanied foreign minors (UFM), through an online course for secondary school teachers with this type of students. This paper aims to analyse the stereotypes and prejudices about immigrant students in secondary education in three European countries: Spain, Greece and Italy. For this purpose, a content analysis of the products generated during the course by teachers has been carried out with a cross-sectional and structured methodology, focused on a descriptive-interpretative analysis according to the qualitative paradigm. The results show an increase in xenophobic statements as perceived by teachers. They believe that this is due to the impact of the global phenomenon of migration on the media, which affects everyday conversations, and a climate of fear exacerbated by populist voices in the political sphere. Moreover, through the analysis of the exercises proposed in the real class through the online course, it is interesting to observe the diversity of the students' reactions to a literary exercise that proposes a controversy about the "colonial difference" that still persists today. There is likewise awareness among teachers of a lack of methodological strategies to break down the prejudices and stereotypes that exist in their classrooms. It also highlights the need to raise awareness in the classroom about this danger, which is at the root of the principles of acceptance and multiculturalism on which Europe is founded.

The main aim of this paper is to analyse the role of family micro-Language Policies (LP's) in the context of the Moroccan Diaspora in urban and semi-urban areas in Spain by examining and contrasting different cases of language transmission within transnational migrant families of Moroccan origin. The paper answers the following questions: How are heritage languages constructed by transnational Moroccan families and in what context and under what sociolinguistic regime(s) are families' LPs developed, negotiated and decided upon? How can LPs develop a functional and practical status of heritage languages or linguistic varieties as well as increase children's opportunities to construct multilingual repertoires? What proactive agency do parents display for these purposes? Data were collected in three projects using a qualitative, ethnographic sociolinguistic approach.

Due to globalisation and migration, multilingualism has become both a reality and an aim of education systems across Europe, affecting how language education is shaped. To improve the ways in which schools cater for language education in diverse settings, research is required on the potentials of multilingualism in order to design curricula that foster skills in different languages. This paper aims at identifying and explaining research priorities in the field of multilingualism and language education in a cross-national perspective. It draws on data from a survey with 298 expert participants in five European countries (Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain) who ranked pre-identified research topics in relation to their perceived urgency. Results show that experts identified 'effectiveness of multilingual support in regular lessons', 'features of multilingual didactics' and 'effectiveness of literacy support in home languages on the development of academic language skills in the majority language' as having the highest research priority overall. However, these results vary across national settings investigated. While the German, Dutch and Portuguese respondents attributed urgency to research on academic language skills, other issues were rated higher in the Spanish and Italian research contexts. The advantages and limitations of conducting cross-national research are also addressed.

In many immigrant families, children often learn the language and culture of the host society quicker than adult immigrants. Consequently, children serve as language brokers, translating and interpreting face-to-face communication. The aim of this paper is to present a study based on 19 qualitative in depth interviews with young adults reporting on how they felt and managed their emotions when acting as language brokers in their childhood and adolescence. The study shows the key role that emotions play in the Child Language Brokering experience and how the relationships that the broker establishes with their immediate context (family, teachers, and the community) is intrinsically related to how they assess the experience. It also shows that emotions had an impact on how brokers modulate the message they rendered, especially when they had to deal with sensitive topics. This research proves the importance of the first-person retrospective narratives of the protagonists, which allows to give a voice to a highly invisible group.

Managing cultural diversity remains a challenge in secondary schools in Spain. In this paper, we approach cultural diversity from the standpoint of school counsellors, who are key professionals attending to immigrant pupils. Through the use of qualitative research techniques (semi-structured interviews and discussion groups), the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are identified by counsellors. The findings show the need to implement pupil-focused responses sensitive to their cultural identity and based on the collaboration of all agents involved. Likewise, the school is defined as a privileged setting in which to celebrate cultural diversity and the pivotal role that counsellors play in this process is highlighted.

This paper presents partial results of a broader investigation and focuses on describing a process of reification that took place at the heart of an immigrant community in Sant Mateu (Castelló, Spain), and that crystallised through the construction and management of a mosque. The theoretical framework draws on social learning theories, with a particular focus on situated learning and communities of practice. Regarding the method, the study follows an ethnographic, qualitative approach. We present the fieldwork procedures (participatory observation, interviews and focus groups) and analytical procedures (content analysis) followed in the research. The results recount the process this immigrant community followed to build the mosque, and the meanings for the community of the process followed and its culmination. Finally, the discussion and conclusions characterise this immigrant community as a community of practice where situated learning processes arise.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the students' performance in the mathematical competency aspect of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 tests and to compare 5 Spanish regions in this respect -- Navarra, Castile-León and Catalonia, with results above the national average; and Extremadura and Andalusia, with results below the national average -- in order to identify the factors causing these differences. To do so, we computed the degree of association between variables related to the students and to the schools with the scores obtained in the mathematical tests. The purpose of this analysis was to better understand the meaning of these scores and their causes and, above all, to propose educational policy actions for improving the students' mathematical performance. In this study, a 2-level regression model was applied to the data collected in the PISA 2015 tests. The first level included the factors related to the students and the second was composed of the variables related to the schools. Our results highlight the significant influence of factors such as immigrant status, grade repetition, location of the school (rural or urban) and economic and sociocultural status. The relevance of these factors to students' academic performance has been observed in previous editions of the PISA tests. We emphasise the need for action to improve students' mathematical performance and, therefore, their educational success.

This paper examines the integration of Romanian immigrants in Lucena del Puerto (Huelva, Spain) through the life stories of two families of Romanian origin. The experiences of the groups presented in this study were analyzed. Both families were in the town for work, to grow and harvest strawberries. We observed a contrast between idealistic views of integration and actual problems of coexistence and integration of the Romanian group with other groups such as Moroccan immigrants Here we focus on the integration process of the Romanian population in the Andalusian village. The main groups studied were two families of Romanian-origin residents in the village. In short, this paper aims to reflect the concerns and integrative resources needed to promote a harmonious coexistence with immigrants.

This paper focuses on educational inequalities in multi-ethnic Basque secondary education. More precisely, the study takes an ethnographic standpoint and aims to explore the academic performance disparities between autochthonous and immigrant students in Basque education in relation to teacher authority. Methods include participant observation and interviews conducted in a Basque school attended by a high proportion of immigrant students. The data indicates that teachers showed three kinds of authority styles, including authoritative and affectionate, which elicited different degrees of student autonomy. The authority style that did not elicit an effective student response involved the use of both authoritative and affectionate strategies; this inconsistent style was only observed when teachers interacted with immigrant students around Basque language learning. This paper argues that teachers' authority styles have implications for the academic inequalities present between autochthonous and immigrant students. [Paper presented at the Oxford Ethnography and Education Conference, 2018.]

English as a foreign language (EFL) is a global issue that extends to thousands of learners worldwide who share a similar classroom situation. However, researchers have often considered learners to have homogeneous linguistic profiles, overlooking the fact that EFL classrooms in primary and secondary education include learners with different linguistic profiles. Despite the fact that immigrant and non-immigrant students meet every day in classrooms, little is known about the EFL performance of the former compared to the latter. This paper addresses this reality, and explores the vocabulary performance of immigrant students, learners of English as an L3, compared to learners of English as an L2 who had the same course level and were from the same community. The research questions were twofold: (1) to ascertain whether there were quantitative differences between L2 and L3 English learners in terms of the number of words produced by each group; and (2) to ascertain whether there were qualitative differences in the words produced by the L3 and L2 groups with regard to (a) the most and least productive prompts for each group, and (b) the number of infrequent words appearing in the production of each group. The sample consisted of 14 bilingual students who were learners of English as an L3 and 14 monolingual learners of English as an L2, respectively, who were in the twelfth year of Spanish secondary education (age 17-18 years old). The data collection instrument was a lexical availability task consisting of six prompts. The data were lemmatized, coded and analysed by means of WordSmith Tools and the VocabProfile programme. The results indicated that the L2 group produced a greater number of words and a higher percentage of infrequent words in the most productive prompt.

Between 2015 and 2016 we conducted computer based tests with 177 French migrant students enrolled in primary, middle and high schools, to evaluate their mathematical abilities and their levels of literacy. With 26 of this group, we supplemented data from their results with interviews and exercises on paper. By comparing their scores to those of native speakers, we sought to establish the reasons for the gap in mathematical achievement that exists between these groups of learners. We have observed that academic language plays an essential role in this phenomenon but we have proved that this factor is not necessary linked to their proficiency in French. In addition, we have found other obstacles which hinder mathematical achievement of some migrant students. Consequently, considering the range of these factors, we have concluded that an evaluation of the specific needs of each migrant student has to been made so that each of them can receive the help that they require.

Immigrant integration in nation states increasingly focuses on the importance of learning the national state language. This is evidenced by increased emphasis on rigorous language testing and tighter citizenship regulations. This paper analyses immigrant integration in two sub-state contexts, Galicia and Wales, where presence of a national language as well as a local language reveal different linguistic complexities and realities which concern the new speaker. How do immigrants respond to bilingual host community settings? To what extent are new speakers able to claim ownership on more than one host community language? Are new immigrant speakers of Galician and Welsh considered 'legitimate' speakers of these languages? To answer these questions, this paper will compare and contrast results from two ethnographically based research projects, showing that immigrants in both these contexts are challenging traditional concepts of new speakers of minority languages, opening up new ways of belonging and also revealing boundaries to their pathways of becoming legitimate new speakers.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess and compare school well-being (SW) and emotional well-being (EW) among Romanian, Moroccan and Spanish youth, to determine the degree of relation between EW and scholar well-being. Design/methodology/approach: The paper employed cross-sectional research with cluster sampling in two primary schools and seven secondary schools. The questionnaire Kidscreen-27 was distributed to a sample of 1,840 Romanian, Moroccan and Spanish students aged between 10 and 19 years old. Data analysis was conducted with the software package SPSS, version 21. Findings: EW shows significant gender (gender gap) and origin inequalities (lower performance for the Moroccan community). However, well-being in school shows positive results for the Moroccan students and women. Moreover, EW and well-being at school are presented as related and co-linear variables with a predictive power over one another. Research limitations/implications: Understanding cultural expressions in heterogeneous cultures is a very complex task. Despite the cultural adaptation and validation of instruments, the applied surveys could not consider cultural differences. Practical implications: The paper underlines that gender and origin remain decisive and determinant for adolescent health. However, the school can have positive effects on the well-being of immigrants. The reasons for well-being need to be explored, and it would be useful to develop educative strategies to implement transcultural EW and SW. Originality/value: It is the first study about SW and EW of immigrants in Spain that explains a better SW in immigrants groups. It is also relevant for applied school intervention to predict the relationship between EW and SW.

Despite the current situation in the Valencia Community in Spain, there seems to be deep differences in the opinions of legislators and teachers about the needs and difficulties in Secondary education. The key issue for many schools is how face an increasing number of undereducated immigrants. Indeed, many Spanish and English teachers wonder how to go on working given this state of affairs. The number of students who need remedial language education can be amazing in certain schools and communities especially in Alacant and Valencia, and teachers know little of what they are supposed to do with these students. Besides, they lack the necessary institutional and linguistic support so many give up and just consider that they can only do just what they do for the rest of the class. This paper addresses the problems currently found in language education for immigrants: (1) educational policy; (2) current offer of remedial classes; and (3) presence and methodology of English as a foreign language. In doing so, the paper revises current practices in language education for immigrants in Spain. The paper concludes that mixing immigrant students and local Spanish students can benefit both groups and input is enhanced through mutual interaction resulting in better learning. However, more staff and funds are recommended if a change of this kind may be intended by any local or regional education board. (A bibliography is included.)

This paper analyses the language-in-education policies implemented to integrate international immigrants into the Catalan language community in Vic, Catalonia. It focuses on the Catalan Government's "Languages and Social Cohesion Plan" (LIC) plan, Vic city council's local education plans, which were adopted as part of LIC plan, and the EBE centre, a Catalan Government initiative that was opened in Vic as an educational welcome space for newly arrived immigrant families. Drawing upon empirical data gathered from semi-structured interviews and substantiated with analysis of policy documents, this paper advances three main claims. First, that immigrant families and community members in Vic have played a vital role in reinforcing the city's language-in-education policies. Second, that immigrant parents can contribute to their children's linguistic integration, even when they are not fluent in the minority language. Third, that the wider discourse of social cohesion in Catalonia has facilitated this greater participation amongst the immigrant family and community members. Together, these three claims present a counterargument to the growing belief in the literature on minority language revival and revitalisation that the family and the community no longer play a significant role in minority language maintenance.

This paper investigates the attitudes towards English of autochthonous and immigrant students in Catalonia (Spain) by focusing on their region of origin and their language competence. The research examines the individual and the joint effect of both variables in the development of language attitudes. A questionnaire was administered to 954 students of Secondary Education. Results reveal that region of origin and language competence are influential in the development of language attitudes, and there is no joint effect when both variables are included in the same model. Attitudes towards English are predominantly favourable with significant differences between local and immigrant participants. Our results may contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between language and intercultural communication and its implications for education.

This paper focuses on language ideologies in relation to identity in Basque secondary education, in a context where the teaching of a minority language is part of the curriculum. More precisely, it addresses the views held by teachers and immigrant students in relation to Basque, which is a minority language in the Basque Country. The aim is to analyse these views in their discourses both separately and in interaction. Methods include documentary analysis, participant observation, individual interviews and focus groups. Results indicate that there are engrained ideologies indexing identity in tension: those of teachers as Basque supporters and those adopted by students as Basque detractors, which come into conflict during classroom interaction when it involves learning Basque. The article concludes that these two ideologies constitute opposing identities and provides educational guidelines to improve classroom dynamics when acrimonious interactions such as these occur.

This paper compares state-led approaches to global citizenship education, driven by the concerns of national security, with the kinds of citizenship formation transnational youth acquire through their experiences in transnational social fields. I show that these transnational experiences--particularly their relationships with loved ones in their countries of origin--naturally foster the types of skills, competencies and global awareness that are typically emphasised in global citizenship education, but also a more critical engagement with global structures of power. I suggest that diaspora third space pedagogies that build on these experiences can address some of the shortcomings of state-led GCE.

The aim of this paper is to describe the process of designing and implementing a teaching unit that links a curricular subject -- in this case, Spanish language -- with the identity of students as a strategy aimed at improving engagement and learning. The teaching unit was implemented in a Shared Education Unit in Catalonia (Spain) for at-risk students. The design of the teaching unit was based on the theoretical approaches of the funds of identity and proposals made by Cummins, which integrate the identity of students into educational practices as a way of reaffirming and empowering those students. We shall describe the funds of identity uncovered, the implementation of the teaching unit and the evaluation of the educational activity by participants. In general, the participating students gave a positive evaluation of the activity, emphasizing its motivating character since it stemmed from their own hobbies and interests, in particular the manipulative arts.

This paper presents the results of a European survey that was part of a European funded project, entitled 'Multicultural Early Childhood Education', carried out between 2017 and 2018, in three countries: Italy, Spain, and Hungary. The goal was to explore the intercultural training needs of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) professionals, to support them to meet the needs of different children and families, with a focus on the ones with immigrant, refugee, and Roma background. It was an exploratory study about the cultural background of ECEC educators, through an analysis of their competences and training needs, with an attention to the issues of multiculturalism and interculturality. The research was focused on the 'good practices' promoted within the educational contexts of partner institutions. The survey was carried out through a semi-structured questionnaire, delivered to a sample of 477 practitioners and pedagogical coordinators/coaches working in ECEC services of Tuscany, Barcelona, and Budapest, collecting 260 completed questionnaires. Analysis of the data collected shows the importance of strengthening the relationship between ECEC services and immigrant families to promote the inclusion of children and their families. The analysis also shows that training and support are needed for ECEC practitioners to improve their practice in this field.

The paper provides an example of how immigration is constructed by receiving societies as a comprehension or language problem that requires special solutions. It focuses on the application of Easy-to-Read, a simplified register currently in expansion which addresses different groups of people with intellectual disabilities, to immigrants in Spain. Following a general introduction on the glottopolitical approach to migration processes and a historical overview of tendencies of discursive simplification in Europe and the Americas, the co-text of the term 'immigrants' in a corpus including drafting guides of Easy-to-Read, newspapers and websites of the supporters of this variety is analysed in the empirical part. Methods of semantic discourse analysis (semantic relations and prototype theory) allow to identify new meanings and categories that are constructed in the selected texts ('immigrant' as a co-hyponym of 'person with a disability').

While research about the significance of parent participation in school is expanding, research about the role of Parent Associations (PA)/Parent and Teacher Associations (PTA) in the integration and participation of immigrant families in schools is limited. This is still the case in Spain and the U.S. despite the continued growth of the immigrant population and that of a scholarship linking parental involvement in school with the improved educational outcomes of their children. This study explores the role of PA/PTAs leaders in the school integration and participation of immigrant families, many of whom are considered 'hard-to-reach.' The objectives are twofold: to contribute new insights with a description of immigrant families' participation in PA/PTAs in two different national contexts; and to bring new insights from the views of PA/PTAs leaders about how to engage and improve the participation of 'hard-to-reach', immigrant families in schools. We compare results derived from in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with PA/PTAs leaders in 26 public schools in Granada and New York City. The study yields two main findings: the importance of immigrant families' active participation in the enrichment of schools; and the strategies used by PA/PTAs leaders in the participation and integration of parents in their children's schools.

This paper aims to illuminate the role of sub-state languages in the integration process of migrants in two sub-state regions: Wales in the UK and the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain. We investigate how language and the idea of 'belongingess' based on language learning and knowledge are constructed in the integration policies in these two officially bilingual regions. We analyse policy documents on the topic of integration of migrants in the respective state and sub-state regions, as well as exploring how the role of language is in turn understood, accepted or contested by migrants. Using ethnographically oriented methods of enquiry such as observations of linguistic practices as well as semi-structured interviews with migrant learners of Welsh and Basque, this analysis seeks to contribute to the growing field of LPP as a multifaceted area of study, and in this case, position migrants as agents in policy-making processes. We find that despite distinctive and ambiguous roles ascribed to the respective official languages of each region, migrant new speakers ascribe certain values and roles to each language, which are not necessarily acknowledged or envisaged as such in integration policies. We propose that taking the voice of migrant new speakers learners into account would improve language and integration policymaking in these two sub-state regions and help to redefine the role of language resources in national 'belongingess' according to the needs of the stakeholders involved.

Evidence suggests that school-age Latino immigrants from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at risk of multiple victimization with serious implications for their mental health and academic competence. This theory-oriented paper proposes that the overlapping of certain characteristics in the status of immigrant have been somehow overlooked or not properly addressed when dealing with immigrants' academic underachievement in Spain. Further, it considers Latino immigrant students susceptible to suffer more than one form of violence and describes how the acculturation process and social inequality clash with the host country's values. All this seem to exert too much stress on the family, bringing about patterns of victimization of children and youth that hinder competence in several domains. The inclusion in this paper of some American and Canadian neuroscience studies on attentional deficits are relevant to understand immigrants that struggle in Spanish schools. Finally, it discusses the pernicious effects of poly-victimization and the potential benefits of prevention and intervention programs.

This paper analyses the language attitudes of autochthonous and immigrant families living in Catalonia towards Spanish and Catalan. The research is intended to assess the possible differences in the language attitudes of students and their parents towards the two languages spoken in Catalonia. The investigation takes a sample of 476 students and their families from several cities in Catalonia who answered an attitude questionnaire. The data were analysed with SPSS and t-tests were performed, with students reporting better attitudes towards Catalan and parents showing more favourable views on Spanish. Statistically significant differences were identified between local and immigrant participants, with non-Spanish families showing worse attitudes to Catalan than towards Spanish. A correlation was found between autochthonous students and their parents when it comes to language attitudes towards the two languages, suggesting that the family environment does have an impact on the development of language attitudes. However, this effect is less visible in the case of immigrant families, where social and educational elements could moderate the impact of language attitudes within the family.

Spain has followed the lead of other Western countries by establishing new citizenship requirements for immigrants. In 2015, the "Real Decreto" 1004/2015 was passed, making both knowledge of culture and history of Spain and knowledge of Spanish language a requisite for immigrants wishing to become citizens. In order to fulfill this legal requirement, immigrants need to take two exams: the Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España and the Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE), which are both administered by the Instituto Cervantes. This paper analyses some of the discourses that surrounded the introduction of the new testing regime. Given the complex socio-political and historical context of Spain, establishing a requirement in Spanish for new citizens reinforces the subordination of other co-official languages such as Galician, Basque and Catalan. Beyond the ideological forces at play, we also highlight the monetization of compulsory tests and its benefits for test administrators. Furthermore, we bring attention to the fact that the DELE, a language test that was originally designed for other purposes and pre-dates the new citizenship legislation, is now being employed for high-stakes immigration, subverting the original purpose of the test. We highlight the problems this causes in terms of test effect, validity and ethics. Finally, we caution that greater reflection is required regarding the need for such tests, including more research on individuals experiencing the new naturalization process.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand why high-skilled immigrants from a developing country (Colombia) are returning to their home country to create businesses instead of starting up in their host country (Spain). Design/methodology/approach: A case study methodology was used to present the experiences of three high-skilled immigrants. All subjects presented had migrated from Colombia to Spain, held degrees from a Colombian university, had a university background in entrepreneurship and intended to run a business in Colombia instead of in Spain. Findings: This study shows how the expectations of highly-skilled immigrants can influence their decision to return to their home country to set up in business. Because of their skills and international experience, these individuals have good professional prospects in their home countries and a lower tolerance of the barriers and difficulties encountered in the host country than immigrants with other profiles. Research limitations/implications: In exploring the high-skilled immigrants' reasons for returning home, future research should pay more attention to personal motivations and cultural differences. Practical implications: The findings will enable policy makers in developing and developed countries to improve policies for attracting or retaining highly-skilled immigrants or emigrants, especially those with entrepreneurial intentions. Originality/value: In a group of immigrants whose skills and talents could offer considerable added value either to their host country or to their home country, this paper examines some of the key processes that influence their decision of where to locate their entrepreneurial activity. (Contains 2 tables.)

This paper focuses on issues of reproduction and the manufacturing of national/ethnic and religious identities in the deterritorialized space of the Moroccan immigrant diaspora. More specifically, this paper examines Moroccan immigrant children's language socialization into pan-Arabic and Islamic identities in relation to the teaching of the Arabic language to these younger generations of Moroccans, who have either already been born in Spain, or who immigrated to Spain with their parents when they were toddlers. Moroccan immigrant children in this study attend Arabic language classes in a Spanish public school--a relatively new program jointly funded by the Spanish and Moroccan Ministries of Education--and in after-school religious classes in a small oratory-mosque run by a local Islamic cultural organization. In this paper, I address similarities and differences in linguistic and literacy practices between these two contexts, paying particular attention to how the internal dynamism of the Moroccan community itself organizes adults' socializing efforts in relation to language education, especially where there may be some conflicting interests in achieving literacy by religious and secular elements of the children's communities of origin. Comparing language and literacy practices in the fields of Arabic language classes at the school and in the mosque allows us to trace homologies, or similarity of organization in linguistic and cultural (re)production, across these two settings, but also to uncover different kinds of strategies teachers engage in and the differential effect pursued by putting these strategies to use in the classroom. Outlining both, processes of homology and heterogeneity, is particularly important to understand the degree of redundancy in language socialization practices, as well as the possible areas of disjuncture that may impinge upon children's ability to negotiate commonality of belonging in their multiple communities. (Contains 2 charts and 4 tables.)

This paper is based on a preliminary exploration of the in-depth interviews and focus groups that are part of a more extensive research project on the education of children of immigrants in Spain. In the process of migration, families undergo profound transformations that are often complicated by extended periods of separation--not only from extended family members, but also from the nuclear family. Though many immigrant families are involved in transnational separation and reunion processes of this kind, there has been little research on the impact of these forms of family transformations on the vision of education held by immigrants. This impact seems to be two-fold. On one hand, family separation and living or work conditions hamper educational support and monitoring; on the other, the experience of migration poses a tremendous faith in the benefits of education and makes families highly motivated in education. The main idea underlying this paper is that an accurate knowledge of the schooling experience of the children of immigrants has to be related to the moral and psychological effects of this adaptive transformation and, in a very special way, to the weave of projects, expectations and frustrations that permeate the life of an immigrant family. The psychosocial consequences of the processes of adjustment and relearning that immigration entails, the need for a comparative perception of success and the willingness to make an effort and work hard make immigrant families strongly meritocratic and--contrary to some common beliefs--able to show a high level of commitment and expectations in relation to the education of their children. (Contains 7 notes.)

During the last few years, East-Europeans, predominantly Romanians, have become the second largest cultural minority in Catalonia (Spain). Spanish educational institutions now have students from more than twenty different cultures. This paper focuses on the educational background and the factors which characterize the educational experience of Romanian students prior to attending schools in Spain, and how this affects their experiences into Catalonian primary schools. Twenty seven interviews were undertaken, of Catalonian and Romanian teachers, of experts and parents from the host primary schools where the proportion of Romanian students was highest. Two focus-group sessions were carried out with school teachers from Romania. The analysis shows that there is some consistency between educational practices and values in Romania and the practices and values of the host schools. The ability of children to assimilate into the host school is directly influenced by their previous experience in the schools in their country of origin. (Contains 6 tables.)

This paper is about how immigrant bilingual students use their languages in the learning of mathematics. Our research has been with immigrant bilinguals in Catalonia, Spain, who arrived at a young age from South-American countries. We use a critical sociolinguistic approach, which draws on social theory in the analysis of how language is involved in the construction of teaching and learning opportunities. Our data point to the differences in the ways that the Spanish dominant bilingual students use their two languages during their engagement in mathematical activity. The shifts from Catalan to Spanish, and from Spanish to Catalan, coincide with shifts in the complexity of the students' mathematical practices. The students tend to use the two languages for different purposes, depending on the complexity of the mathematical practices, and in relation to different social settings that coexist within the classroom. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures and 3 footnotes.)

While attracting international students is the declared objective of many countries of the global North, the regulation of movements of this migrant group does not escape the tensions that characterise policymaking on migration. This paper compares the evolution of student migration policies in three major European destinations--France, Spain and the UK--since the late 1990s. The aim is to evaluate whether policies in this area have converged or not, and the factors behind their evolution. Our findings suggest that despite common forces encouraging convergence, country-specific factors, such as countries' migration history and the political force in power, seem crucial in explaining important differences in actual policies across the three countries.

Based on two case studies of Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) working with schools and parents in Catalonia and London, this paper aims to discuss some of the implications of "participative" programmes aimed at involving those migrant families seen by schools as "hard to reach". First, we describe how an ambiguous notion of participation can shift responsibilities to families and leave internal school practices free from critical gaze. Second, we focus on the complexities and tensions involved in the process of partnering TSOs with schools because of the bureaucratic nature of educational institutions and unresolved conflicts of interests and responsibilities. Finally, we argue that the potential of these initiatives were limited and diluted by being stand-alone and time-limited. Our analysis suggests that, in spite of their apparent success, they ended up being part of powerful authorising narratives that justify the outsourcing of public services and the abdication of the State's responsibilities.