• Introduction
• Good practices
• Portraits
• Reflection and exercises
• Advice
• Further readings
• Library

Since there has been extensive research regarding the language acquisition of newly arrived pupils, this section offers summaries of relevant literature related to transition.

1. Successful integration of migrant children in EU member states: Examples of good practice - Herzog-Punzenberger, 2016

This German report focuses on institutional settings, initiatives, projects, and programs that aim to increase the participation of migrant children and their families in education. Good practices are discussed, and a list of recommendations is given on pages 18-19 (in English).

2. The Academic Engagement of Newly Arriving Somali Bantu Students in a US Elementary School. - Birman & Tran, 2015

This report describes a study that looks at the academic performance and level of motivation of Somali Bantu pupils who received little or no education in their home country. The study shows that a lack of motivation for education and behavioural problems are not the result of a lack of interest in education but of a lack of knowledge compared to the school’s culture. Teachers need good guidance to be able to deal with this target group.

3. High school dropouts: Interactions between social context, self-perceptions, school engagement, and student dropout - Fall & Roberts, 2012

This research analyzed data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002-2004 (USA) and aimed to understand the interactions between contextual variables and the students’ engagement. Based on the self-system model of motivation development that take into account social context, self-perceptions, school engagement, and academic achievement, Fall and Roberts argue that “Perception of social context (teacher support and parent support) predicts students’ self-perceptions (perception of control and identification with school), which in turn predict students’ academic and behavioural engagement and academic achievement. Further, students’ academic and behavioural engagement and achievement in 10th grade were associated with a decreased likelihood of dropping out of school in 12th grade” (2012: 787).

4. School motivation and high school dropout: The mediating role of educational expectation - Fan & Wolters, 2014 

This study argues that motivation is a crucial factor to consider in school dropout, next to students’ social background and school behaviours. Fan and Wolters show “possible pathways that motivate students to persist in secondary school. These pathways are specifically rooted in the belief in students’ abilities and intrinsic interest in learning, through their relationships with expectations of students concerning their education” (2014: 22).