Project leader: Nataša Pantić, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Project duration: 2020-2025
Participating countries: United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden
Funding from NordForsk: 11,585,903 NOK
Project website: Teaching that Matters for Migrant Students
The aim of the project was to understand how schools and teachers address barriers and create opportunities for migrant integration in schools and to help teachers and schools meet the needs of migrant students. The project used social network analysis and ethnographic research across seven school sites in Scotland, Finland, and Sweden. The study adopted a multidimensional approach, considering structural, social, and institutional aspects, and framed integration as the interaction between students, teachers, families, and external agencies. It covered key themes—including risks of exclusion, barriers to learning, underachievement, and the development of protective networks—and aimed to provide a holistic perspective. By addressing gaps in knowledge, it informed evidence-based policy and supported inclusive school communities.
Key Findings
- TEAMS uncovered how schools and teachers address barriers and create opportunities for migrant student integration, while also developing resources to support teachers and schools.
- Teachers across the three countries showed strong relational agency by actively reaching out to colleagues, specialists, families and communities to support migrant students. Staff with migrant backgrounds were especially proactive, and inclusive pedagogical practices worked best when responsibility was shared rather than delegated.
- Cross-country comparisons showed different patterns of agency: Sweden reported the highest levels, followed by Scotland, while Finland’s higher autonomy sometimes reduced collaboration. Gender and career stage also influenced professional agency and participation.
- At school level, institutional contexts strongly shaped practices. Schools with higher diversity and structured opportunities for collaboration developed more inclusive approaches, while autonomy without collaboration risked isolating efforts. Policies varied across countries, with mainstreaming in Scotland, targeted provision in Finland, and a mix in Sweden.
- The project also contributed methodologically, developing a mixed-method social network approach to analyse how relationships and institutional norms shape inclusion. Findings highlight the wider relevance of focusing on collaboration, belonging and inclusive school cultures.
- TEAMS created impact through workshops, policy briefs, an online toolkit, and student-led films, and by engaging with school networks, English as Additional Language (EAL) services and international organisations. Findings were shared broadly with practitioners and policymakers across Europe and beyond.
Key outputs
Gialdini, C. & Pantić, N. (2024). Rethinking English as Additional Language (EAL) Services to Support Inclusion of Migrant Students. Languages, Society and Policy. Hökkä, P., Räikkönen, E., Vähäsantanen, K., Sarazin, M., Lund, A., & Pantić, N. (2025). School staff members’ professional agency in Finland, Scotland and Sweden – A comparative study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 159, 104998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.104998
Pantić, N., Gialdini, C., Packwood, H., & Viry, G. (2025). A matrix of educational policies to support migrant students across Europe. European Educational Research Journal 1. https://doi.org/10.1177/14749041251337233
Pantić, N., Sarazin, M. Coppe, T., Oral, D., Maninnen, E., Silvennoinen, K. Lund, A. Hökkä, P., Vähäsantanen K. & S. Li (2024). How do teachers exercise relational agency for supporting migrant students within social networks in schools from Scotland, Finland, and Sweden. Teaching and Teacher Education, 139, 104442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104442
Tarnanen, M., Oral, D., Niklasson, E., de Riba-Mayoral, S., Vähäsantanen, K., Pantić, N., & Manninen, E. (2024). Exploring integration in schools by using the lens of cultural diversity and multilingualism in policy documents from Finland, Scotland and Sweden. Language and Education, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2024.2430501