Flerspråklige elever i lys av spesialpedagogikk og inkluderende praksis
In this chapter, we explore how multilingual students are represented
in Norway’s national strategy Kompetanseløftet for spesialpedagogikk og
inkluderende praksis (“The Competence Boost for Special Needs Education and
Inclusive Practice”) and how this is reflected in schools’ developmental work.
Through a mixed-methods design, including document analysis, survey data from
school staff, and reports from local authorities, the study reveals a lack of explicit
focus on multilingual students within the strategy’s implementation. Although
public policy documents emphasize the need for professional development in
second language acquisition and multicultural competence, these aspects are
largely absent from the strategy’s operationalization. Survey findings indicate
low academic expectations for multilingual students and limited use of support
structures such as mother-tongue teachers or multicultural expertise in the EPS
(Educational and Psychological counseling Service). We argue that multilingual
students are at risk of being marginalized when their educational needs are not
recognized within broader inclusion efforts. It calls for a more integrated, interdisciplinary
approach that bridges general, special, and multicultural education,
ensuring coherence between policy intentions and school practices to secure
a well-adapted education and to avoid the development of learning difficulties
caused by practice in the school.
in Norway’s national strategy Kompetanseløftet for spesialpedagogikk og
inkluderende praksis (“The Competence Boost for Special Needs Education and
Inclusive Practice”) and how this is reflected in schools’ developmental work.
Through a mixed-methods design, including document analysis, survey data from
school staff, and reports from local authorities, the study reveals a lack of explicit
focus on multilingual students within the strategy’s implementation. Although
public policy documents emphasize the need for professional development in
second language acquisition and multicultural competence, these aspects are
largely absent from the strategy’s operationalization. Survey findings indicate
low academic expectations for multilingual students and limited use of support
structures such as mother-tongue teachers or multicultural expertise in the EPS
(Educational and Psychological counseling Service). We argue that multilingual
students are at risk of being marginalized when their educational needs are not
recognized within broader inclusion efforts. It calls for a more integrated, interdisciplinary
approach that bridges general, special, and multicultural education,
ensuring coherence between policy intentions and school practices to secure
a well-adapted education and to avoid the development of learning difficulties
caused by practice in the school.
Published in 2026
Read the article here