Managing newly arrived children's double transition: Towards inclusionary practices in rural Swedish preschools

Abstract

This study examines preschool practitioners’ accounts of managing newly arrived children's double transition into rural preschools with little previous experience of migration. The narratives are analysed through Bakhtin's theory of dialogism. The analysis reveals that the practitioners at first found the migrant children's double transition troublesome and challenging. Eventually, they started to reflect critically on their own culturally endorsed beliefs and practices, and took a dialogical approach that helped them to adjust their practices to the needs of the newly arrived children. The results show that in order to support the inclusion of the migrant children, the practitioners themselves had to go through a process that included a change of mindset and a change of practice. Hence, to manage the children's double transition, the practitioners needed to make a dual adjustment.