Pixel International Conferences

It has become almost a truism that children tend to affiliate and develop friendships and peer relationships with those who speak the same language and share the same cultural heritage; these two usually lead to similar attitudes and common interests. Social isolation of immigrant children in the classroom, as well during recess time, is the new “plague” in school communities all around the world, due to the rapid increase of immigration over the past few years. Weakness in communicating in the host country’s dominant language may result in immigrant children experiencing feelings of isolation and loneliness. Furthermore, without proper socialization it is difficult for a child to even attempt to work toward goals in other areas. The paper draws on a case study evidence from a multicultural public primary school in Cyprus. Qualitative semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with immigrant children who learn Greek as a Second Language (GSL), between November 2017 and January 2018. These interviews explored what immigrant children think and feel about friendship networks in their classroom, play during recess time, feelings they experience in various aspects of school life, such as work in class, and play during recess. The findings will be discussed relatively to the educational and socio-cultural context of Cyprus, and also with respect to theory, policy and practice from all across Europe. This paper aims to (a) address calls for understanding immigrant children’s language barriers in forming friendships with their peers and (b) provide new insights to contribute to the ongoing dialogue in the sub-field of inclusion in education, linked to children’s peer relationships and second language teaching. Limitations and recommendations for further research, will also be addressed and discussed.

Keywords: Immigrant children friendships, peer relationships, multicultural primary schools, language barriers, case study, qualitative research;