Teachers and Teaching

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Teachers’ challenges in preparatory classes: a

socio-ecological perspective

Tatsiana Shestunova

To cite this article: Tatsiana Shestunova (2022) Teachers’ challenges in preparatory

classes: a socio-ecological perspective, Teachers and Teaching, 28:4, 496-515, DOI:
10.1080/13540602.2022.2062750

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2022.2062750

Published online: 10 Apr 2022.

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TEACHERS AND TEACHING
2022, VOL. 28, NO. 4, 496–515
https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2022.2062750

Teachers’ challenges in preparatory classes: a socio-ecological

perspective
Tatsiana Shestunova
Faculty of Educational Sciences, The University of Helsinki, Finland

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Teachers work in diverse environments in terms of pupils’ abilities, Received 20 September 2021
socio-economic backgrounds and demography. The growing Accepted 24 March 2022
demands of political and societal bodies increase the pressure KEYWORDS
placed on teachers. Using a socio-ecological framework, this study Immigrant pupils; diverse
provides insights into teachers’ perspectives and their challenges in pupils; teachers’ challenges;
the field of teaching recently arrived pupils in the Finnish context. immigrant education
Qualitative interviews of ten participants from different parts of
Finland were conducted. The data were analysed through thematic
analysis. The findings suggest that teachers need more administra­
tive and collegial support, effective educational policies, sufficient
resources, and wider community attention. The results of the study
can be useful for education stakeholders in mitigating the problems
encountered by teachers, and in shedding light on how these levels
can be accessed. The study also provides a structure that research­
ers can use to classify teachers’ challenges at the individual, orga­
nisational, municipal, and national levels.

Introduction
In response to global migration processes, school populations are becoming increasingly
diverse. Over the past fifty years, the number of international migrants worldwide has
risen dramatically (International Organization for Migration, 2019). In 2019, the number
of people living in countries other than their countries of birth was estimated to be 272
million, which was 119 million more than in 1990. The increasing diversity of learners in
Europe challenges all levels of education (Donlevy et al., 2016). The proportion of pupils
with a migrant or minority background in European education varies significantly across
the EU member states.
The constant growth of Finland’s population is due to migration rather than
births. Foreign-language speakers make up 7.8% of the total population, exceeding
the number of Swedish-speakers in the country (5.2%; Official Statistics of Finland,
2020). In 2019, the proportion of foreign-language pupils per school in Helsinki
ranged from zero to almost 80% (Helsingin Kaupunki, 2021). In response to these
changes, the need to teach the Finnish language to recently arrived (RA) pupils is
growing. In Finland, the education of immigrant children during their first year is

CONTACT Tatsiana Shestunova tatsiana.shestunova@helsinki.fi Faculty of Educational Sciences, The University

of Helsinki, Finland
© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 497

implemented in the form of both the immediate integration of foreign pupils into
mainstream education and preparatory training, which focuses on teaching Finnish
as a second language.
Although preparatory education is offered in numerous schools in Finland, uncer­
tainty still exists about preparatory teachers’ work. Specifically, the problems they face
and how society is ready to respond to these challenges remain unknown. The present
study was designed to address this knowledge gap.
In this paper, I argue that the well-being of preparatory education teachers
represents a multi-level socio-ecological phenomenon and is influenced by numer­
ous factors inside the school community, and within a broader landscape unique to
each school setting. I apply McLeroy et al.’s (1988) socio-ecological framework to
investigate the various levels that affect teachers’ work (see also, Erdem-Aydin, 2021;
Quarmby et al., 2019).
The objective of the research was to investigate the factors influencing teacher
well-being within the socio-ecological framework. Although a system is more than
the sum of its parts and all the elements in the system are interdependent, it is
important to identify the most relevant potential influences at each level because
interactions within the system are often non-linear, and even small changes can
have significant consequences (Levin et al., 2013). Placing the study findings on an
evidence-based agenda may help the educational sector tackle the problem and
provide salutary conditions for enhancing teacher well-being. The study sought to
fill the research gap by giving this silent group of teachers a voice, and to answer the
following research questions: 1. What kind of challenges do Finnish teachers experi­
ence in preparatory education? 2. What contextual factors facilitate or impede pre­
paratory education teachers’ efforts to resolve their challenges? 3. To what extent does
the social ecological perspective contribute to understanding teachers’ challenges in the
classroom?

The socio-ecological model

Ecological models draw on the systems philosophy in which all elements are intercon­
nected and mutually influence each other (Constantine, 1986). People and social struc­
tures function like systems. The Ecological Systems Theory formulated by
Bronfenbrenner (1979) sees people as enmeshed in different ecological systems.
Bronfenbrenner placed environmental influences on different levels, ranging from the
micro- to the macrosystem level. Each system interacts with and impacts another
throughout a person’s life. The ecological environment is perceived as a set of nested
structures, reminiscent of a Russian doll. Thus, a person’s well-being should not only be
considered in terms of the influence of separate environmental factors, but as an
aggregate effect of multiple elements. The central part of the ecological study is context,
as it both defines the environment and is defined by it (Van Lier, 2002).
The current study was inspired by the adaptation of Bronfenbrenner’s model by
McLeroy et al. (1988), who suggested a five-level socio-ecological model of the factors
that influence a person. Figure 1 illustrates this model.
498 T. SHESTUNOVA

Figure 1. The socio ecological model.

The socio-ecological model demonstrates how behaviour is a derivative of individual

characteristics and relations, as well as of social interactions on institutional, community
and public policy levels. In other words, the socio-ecological model highlights ‘the
dynamic interplay between situational and personal factors rather than focusing exclu­
sively on environmental, biological, or behavioural determinants of well-being’ (Stokols,
1996, p. 285). It also takes into account the interaction between factors at a single or
different levels (World Health Organization, 2021). The different levels of the model
overlap, illustrating how one level of the model influences another.
The socio-ecological approach builds a strong foundation for this study and is justified
by the fact that it provides an opportunity to distinguish the influences on teacher work,
while at the same time acknowledging dynamic interactions between and among them.
Drawing on McLeroy’s model, I argue that preparatory education teachers’ well-being
depends on various social and ecological factors, and on the way in which these factors
interact with each other and the environment. I applied the socio-ecological model in the
analyses and when structuring this paper to report the study findings.

Study design
Participants
The data presented in this article consist of individual semi-structured interviews with
nine preparatory teachers and a school assistant from different parts of Finland. I decided
to include a school assistant as she belonged to the key informants and may face the same
challenges as teachers. I considered this sample size satisfactory as in qualitative studies,
the sample size is determined in the process of data collection as the saturation point is
achieved (deMarrais & Lapan, 2004).
The participants’ work experience ranged from 0.5 to 18 years. All participants were
interviewed in 2018–2019.
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 499

Instrument and procedures

The interviews were conducted according to the interview guides that had been sent to the
participants a few days before the interview took place. Each interview began by enquiring
about the participant’s background and how she got into preparatory teaching. This was
followed by questions regarding teacher education, the problems teachers faced, their sup­
port, networking and cooperation. The interviewees talked about their experiences, and
about what they would like to change in their work. Each interview lasted 40–60 minutes
and with the permission of the participants, all the interviews were audio-recorded and
subsequently transcribed. The interviews were then analysed according to the main themes
discussed.
Building rapport with participants is essential in the interview process, as it enables a
researcher to access the person’s story (Liamputtong & Ezzy, 2005), which is a central
constituent of how people make sense of themselves and their worlds. Thus, qualitative
interviews enable a focus on meaning-making (Krauss, 2005) and provide an explanation
as to why and how specific phenomena may occur rather than how often. To establish a
safe, comfortable environment, participants were given the opportunity to choose where to
be interviewed. They all chose their schools, feeling this was comfortable and safe.

Ethical issues
Ethical issues were taken into consideration (TENK, 2020), namely the dignity and
privacy of the participants, the prevention of harm, and the confidentiality of the research
data and private information. The issue of anonymity was of great importance to some
teachers, as they were quite open about sharing the negative aspects of their working
conditions. Following these considerations, all information leading to the disclosure of
the participants’ identities or the names of the schools was removed.

Data analysis
All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed. Consistent with the procedure
presented by Aronson (1995, p. 72), I immersed myself in the data by reading and
rereading participants’ responses prior to developing a coding structure. To form an
initial coding structure, the interviews were read and coded using open coding (Glaser
& Holton, 2004), resulting in the development of the initial concepts. At the second
stage, axial coding was utilised. During the process, the codes generated by open coding
were reconsidered in terms of similarity and difference (Silver & Lewins, 2014). Similar
codes were merged into higher-level categories, and redundant codes were placed in a
special category. When a participant’s challenge emerged as a code, special attention
was paid to how best to categorise it. Many teachers identified student problems as
contributing to teacher challenges. For this reason, it was important to distinguish
students’ challenges from teachers’ challenges and to code them as a separate category.
In addition, definitions, boundary criteria, and examples for each category were
established and refined.
500 T. SHESTUNOVA

Table 1. Levels and generated themes.

Levels Generated themes
Individual Teacher background
Interpersonal Teacher duties and roles
Diverse students
Institutional Support for the teacher
Teacher collaboration
Other challenges
Community Professional networking
Cooperation among different educational stakeholders
Public policy Teacher education
Preparatory group organisation
Employment conditions
Pupil input system

Following this, the data related to the already classified patterns were identified and
catalogued into the generated themes. This enabled the created codes and the relations
between them to be explored. Twelve themes emerged that were related to the challenges
and factors that influence preparatory teachers’ work. ATLAS.ti was utilised at the coding
and analysis stages. Table 1 presents the generated themes and codes.
In the final phase of the data analysis, the storyline was developed. In accordance with
the socio-ecological model, the results were reported under individual, interpersonal,
institutional, community, and public policy levels of influence.
As regards the trustworthiness of the research, peer review contributed to the cred­
ibility and transparency of the study.

Findings
The interview questions highlighted several challenges faced by the teachers working
with RA pupils, according to the information that the researcher obtained while working
in the Vastaantulo project and from preliminary discussions with teachers. The findings
are presented in accordance with the five levels of the socio-ecological model.

Individual level
The individual level involves the individual characteristics of a person, such as gender,
age, work experience, background, and education. These personal characteristics are
compiled and presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Participants’ profiles.

Characteristic Number of participants
Gender (female) 10
Class teacher qualification 8
Qualification of a Finnish language teacher 3
Intercultural studies at University 3
Special needs education or medical education 3
Experience of living abroad 8
Immigrant background 4
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 501

Teachers’ work experience ranged from 0.5 to 9 years. It should be noted that the
qualifications of the three participants educated as Finnish language teachers were
different. One person was qualified as a teacher of Finnish as a native language, the
second as a teacher of Finnish as a second language, and the third as a teacher of Finnish
as a foreign language, who had received her education outside of Finland.
The results of this study did not show that characteristics such as teacher education,
qualifications or work experience offered any advantage with regard to how teachers
perceived their well-being. The more experienced teachers did not report fewer chal­
lenges than the less experienced teachers. However, a noteworthy aspect in the data was
that teachers in the same school had conflicting opinions.

Interpersonal level
The theme of teacher–pupil interaction emerged in the results of the analysis. It is
reported in two strands: a) roles and duties performed by the teacher in the preparatory
class, and b) diverse pupils in the preparatory class.

Teacher roles and duties within the socio-ecological framework

Teachers represent the central element in the socio-ecological framework. The analysis of
the interviews revealed that teacher roles and duties fell into six categories: pupil
integration, teaching Finnish, pupil protection, preparing pupils for mainstream school,
teaching the basic concepts of different subjects, and encouraging pupils. The diagram
below presents the categories (Figure 2).
The participants saw themselves as integrators in that they integrate RA pupils into
Finnish society, and teach them how to adapt to Finnish life and how to understand
Finnish realities. Moreover, the participants not only helped to integrate their pupils,
they also worked with the newcomers’ families. They provided parents with information
on how to engage with the host society from socio-economic, political, and cultural
perspectives. One teacher shared her experience of making appointments with doctors
and other service providers for the whole family, and of accompanying newcomers there.
The participants saw their primary role as teaching Finnish. In addition, protecting
pupils was repeatedly mentioned as being one of their duties. An interesting question
arises from this: protect them from whom or from what? The responses included
statements about protection in general terms such as mentoring any new pupil:
Participant 1: . . . the students might be very afraid and confused when they come here, but it
is my job to make sure, make them feel safe and happy, and kind of in their comfort zone.

‘Make them feel safe’ and ‘comfort zone’ refer to the concept of a safe space being tightly
intertwined with the institutional or school level. The same concept was also detected in
the next participant’s narrative, who protected the rights of pupils to receive proper care
and attention from other school teachers.
Participant 1: Sometimes you have to protect your children. Make sure they have the same
rights as others because it’s . . . It’s not that the others want to, you know, treat them worse.
It’s just so that very often we have big classes, a lot of students. And the teachers are just
overworked and tired and they kind of, you know. Immigrant children are often left like the
last ones. Or sometimes they forget about them.
502 T. SHESTUNOVA

Figure 2. Preparatory education teachers’ roles and duties.

The last extract is interesting not only from the perspective of protection, as we can also
see the emergence of othering, creating alienation and social distance (Krumer-Nevo &
Sidi, 2012). The participants’ narratives hinted at an obvious polarisation of the class­
room as a safe space vs. school as a hostile space’. Therefore, RA pupils are presented as
needing teacher protection from the out-of-classroom environment. Since they are
placed on the other side of the ‘mainstream—preparatory education’ line and segregated,
these inferences lead to the concept of othering.
Othering has a dual form in this excerpt. The participant placed immigrant pupils on
one side of the line and the ‘others’ with rights on the other side. Moreover, we can
observe the opposition of the preparatory teachers to the mainstream teachers, who are
overwhelmed by their work and neglect the needs of preparatory pupils. There is a
division between preparatory teachers and ‘other’ teachers. A small number of inter­
viewees mentioned teaching basic facts from other subjects—geography, biology, history
—and encouraging pupils. The category of pupil encouragement is more relevant to
teachers working with refugee pupils, and covers aspects such as empathy, orienting
themselves to tragic histories, and teaching the pupils about a new life in a safe
environment.
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 503

Diversity in the preparatory class

The most frequently mentioned challenge in preparatory teacher work was the diverse
backgrounds of the pupils. The responses included:
Participant 5: In immigration class it is very difficult, because it varies.

Participant 2: This is a very heterogeneous group. That is probably one of the most difficult
aspects of this work.

In addition, concerns were raised about different experiences of schooling, which ranged
from nothing at all to advanced.
Participant 2: We can have students who are at a high school level in mathematics, and in the
same class you can have older students who are in at Grade 1 level in mathematics. Some of
them might not read or write. And some of them really want to go forward fast and have the
ability to go fast in the Finnish language and other things.

According to the respondents, most pupils in the preparatory class had various emotional
problems. These problems were more complicated if a child had been through traumatic
experiences, such as being a refugee and having no certainty that the authorities would let
them remain in the country. The teachers reported that such pupils were accustomed to
fighting and defending themselves; they were unable to regulate their emotions. Some
pupils were in Finland without their parents, which compounded their frustration and
depression, for example.
Participant 6: Many children have lost a lot. So their emotions are very drastic in many,
many cases, very strong emotions, which they can’t really regulate.

Institutional level
Support for the teacher
Support for the teacher was a recurring theme throughout the interviews. The dataset
included two negative responses from the participants to the question of whether they felt
that they were receiving adequate support, either formal or informal. Other participants
indicated that they were happy with the support that they had received. It is worth
highlighting one teacher who stated that she had to ask for support because it was not
offered by default.
Half of the participants felt that they were receiving sufficient support from the school
administration, while a smaller number considered it poor. The important issue in the
data was the reference to the actual absence of support. In one case, a respondent felt that
support only existed on paper; it was never really implemented. In a second case, the
interviewee reported that she did not feel that the attitude to her needs was openly
negative, but rather resembled neglect or pretence that the problems did not exist.

Teacher collaboration and networking

Turning now to teacher collaboration and networking, the most influential aspect was
collaboration with other preparatory teachers. The participants were of the opinion that
only preparatory teachers could fully understand each other’s needs. In close collabora­
tion, teachers discuss problems, share educational materials, and express feelings and
504 T. SHESTUNOVA

emotions. However, in big cities one school commonly has several preparatory class­
rooms, whereas in smaller places, preparatory classes are organised in separate schools.
This often leads to the teacher being isolated from her colleagues, possibly being mis­
understood by other teachers, and duly being subjected to othering.
The participants mentioned successful collaboration with other schoolteachers. They
saw this as an important factor in preparatory teachers’ work and in the successful
integration of pupils. The common opinion was that work was easier and more fruitful
when it was carried out as a team. However, some of them shared negative experiences of
collaboration with other teachers. Teachers from preparatory education faced challenges
when integrating RA pupils into mainstream lessons, as the regular teachers did not
understand the pupils’ problems and had a poor understanding of what a preparatory
class entailed. The participants suggested that all mainstream teachers should undergo
some training on teaching diverse pupils.
Thus, along with the lack of cooperation and shortage of functional knowledge,
othering emerged again, in contrasting ‘we’ and ‘they’—‘we’ referring to preparatory
teachers and ‘they’ to other school teachers.
The participants also expressed loneliness:
Participant 8: You feel a little lonely.

Participant 7: In some cases, I felt that it was an Island. We were alone and isolated.

Teamwork with other school specialists was also viewed as productive. For instance,
collaboration with a school nurse and special educators helped in finding a common
solution if problems arose with a pupil. One teacher expressed her wish for more
guidance from the special needs education teacher.
Regular work with a school psychologist was also beneficial according to the majority
of the interviewees. However, the rotation of psychologists affected the preparatory
teachers’ work, as in some schools the teachers needed to explain the idea of a prepara­
tory class all over again to a new psychologist every year, as well as how to work with
pupils who had poor Finnish language skills. This is a telling example because it
illustrates that some specialists who do not work with RA pupils on a regular basis are
not familiar with the idiosyncrasies of these classes, and the characteristics of multi­
lingual pupils.
For a small number of the participants, adequate support included understanding
from others. This was a particular concern for the school assistant, who expressed a wish
for teachers to pay more attention to her opinion.

Other challenges
Other challenges discussed by the participants included the lack of resources and
excessive workloads. The analysis revealed that teachers in the capital area had more
resources at their disposal. Other areas suffered from a shortage of textbooks, materials,
and even classrooms. In one city, the preparatory classroom was in the basement and had
no windows. This location is an illustrative example of othering: when a whole group is
placed in unfavourable conditions, albeit temporarily. This is in conflict with the idea of a
new type of learning environment (Niemi, 2020) and the provision of a safe space. In this
regard, the working conditions of school assistants should also be mentioned. For
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 505

instance, in her interview, the school assistant expressed a need for her own room, as she
only had a locker, and was sometimes unable to stay in the room where it was located
because an afternoon club was held on the premises after 12 o’clock.
In six cases, the participants complained about their workload, stating that they were
‘overwhelmed and exhausted by the work’. They highlighted that they had insufficient
time for rest and relaxation. Preparatory teachers are generally involved in too many tasks
beyond the scope of regular teaching—the creation and development of study material
(proper textbooks for RA pupils do not exist), contact with parents, translation issues, and
a great deal of paperwork. In addition, they often take on voluntary commitments such as
providing parents with advice concerning banking, hospital issues, and so forth.

Community level
The community level is reinforced by participation in broader professional networks and
cooperation among different educational stakeholders. However, only one teacher
reported cooperation with other preparatory teachers from different schools through
monthly meetings. Two teachers clearly expressed a wish for more fruitful cooperation
with their preparatory education colleagues.
Participant 10: Any nice place, you know, we could work with others for two days, three
days, somewhere with a . . . maybe a lecture or what’s the word. So, like, we could learn more,
and we could share. And that would be great.

Participant 6: I’d really would like to have more people to work with these things. Just have a
conversation. Maybe we don’t always have problems, but just to have a . . . conversation and
to see different points of view.

In these extracts, sentiments are voiced about non-interaction, separation, and not being
heard, which again leads to the notion of othering.
More than half of the participants shared their experiences of successful cooperation
with other specialists. For example, they collaborated with social workers, child protec­
tion services, police officers, and translators. Youth organisations that involved pupils in
extracurricular activities also provided support.
City education departments are an important link in the provision of preparatory
education. However, only two participants stated that education departments provided
teachers with clear instructions, and organised teacher training activities. Most partici­
pants agreed that they did not receive adequate support from this quarter. They discussed
how they had neither clear instructions from the authorities, nor anyone who was
responsible for preparatory education issues at the city level, or at least did not know
of such a person. They expressed a wish that administrative decisions could be more
realistic, which would involve cooperation with teachers.

Public policy level

This level consists of broader legislation, government-driven initiatives, the educa­
tional system, and historical and cultural contexts. A small number of the respon­
dents referred to the issue of preparatory teacher training. They highlighted the fact
506 T. SHESTUNOVA

that their university studies had not provided them with sufficient knowledge to
work successfully in preparatory classes. Three participants suggested further train­
ing for all school personnel.
Criticism of the organisation of preparatory groups was also voiced in the
interviews. Two participants mentioned the issue of pupil differentiation, namely
that RA pupils come from different backgrounds. Whereas some pupils had
received excellent schooling in their home countries, others had received little or
no schooling at all. Despite this, all newcomers are placed under the same condi­
tions. A teacher may encounter challenges when, for example, a 10-year-old pupil
has never learned mathematics. At the same time, another 10-year-old pupil may
come from a country with a strong mathematics programme. In another case,
when pupils come from countries with a curriculum that is ahead of that in
Finland, in preparatory classes they are in fact revising information that they
have already learned. Subsequently, when they enter mainstream education, the
year that they spent in preparatory education is not counted, and the pupil simply
loses a year. In this case, differentiation of pupils is essential.
Another area of concern involved the teachers’ employment conditions. Some
participants raised the issue of low salaries and poor employment conditions. The
interviewees were not satisfied with their temporary employment contracts, an
unstable situation that often served as a disincentive for further development.
The pupil intake system was discussed by 70% of participants. Today, a prepara­
tory class is open to new pupils at any time of the year. The participants understood
that this was necessary so that pupils could start their schooling directly upon arrival
in Finland. However, this is challenging for their work, as the class composition
fluctuates, children change, and some pupils always master Finnish better than
others. Under the present conditions, a teacher must provide the newly arrived
pupil with new information, while simultaneously taking care of those who arrived
earlier. As one interviewee put it:

Participant 4: This year I’ve felt I’m working at a train station. There are so many departures
and arrivals all the time.

Discussion
This study provides insights into teachers’ perspectives and the challenges they encounter
within the socio-ecological model. It sheds light on the impact of the school environment
on the teachers, adds depth to the literature, and increases understanding of the multi­
faceted challenges related to preparatory teacher work. The research data suggest that
teachers need greater administrative and collegial support, effective educational policies,
sufficient resources, and broader community attention.
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 507

Individual level
Previous studies have demonstrated that the more years of experience teachers have,
the less they are subjected to burnout (Pyhältö et al., 2020; Van Petegem et al., 2005).
However, the results of this study did not show that teacher education, qualifications
or work experience influenced teacher well-being. In general, the more experienced
teachers did not report fewer challenges than the less experienced teachers.
Conflicting opinions among teachers from the same school can be attributed to several
factors. The first is that as a method, an interview is subjective. Narratives do not describe
phenomena objectively, but reflect how the understandings of these phenomena interact
with interpretation (Sarbin, 1986). Thus, the participants share their own understanding of
the reality. Perception and reality seldom coincide. The perspective on the events depends
on teacher identity and personality. On the other hand, the openness of participants
cannot be guaranteed. Teachers may not be ready to share sensitive information because
they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. This disparity leads to concerns about the reliability of
the information provided and is thus one of the limitations of the current study.

Interpersonal level
The creation of positive relations between a teacher and pupils is a foundational compo­
nent of the educational process. Constructive teacher–pupil relations promote pupils’
adaptation to school, develop their social skills, and foster academic performance (Curby
et al., 2009; Ewing & Taylor, 2009; Rudasill et al., 2010). Moreover, these positive
relations are also important for teachers.
Being a central figure in the classroom, the teacher plays several roles that go beyond the
scope of teaching. In their article, Sinkkonen and Kyttälä (2014) claimed that education was
important for the social integration of a multicultural population, which in turn positively
influenced pupils’ academic achievements and adaptation to school. In line with this, the
participants in the current study saw their main role as that of an integrator. This role is
even wider-ranging as they not only help pupils to adapt at the school level, but also
facilitate their integration into Finnish society. Preparing pupils for life in the future is the
next level of the integration process. Teachers educate pupils in what it means to be human,
in values common to any civilised community. Figure 3 presents the levels of integration.

Figure 3. Preparatory education teachers’ roles and duties.

508 T. SHESTUNOVA

Levels of integration
A preparatory teacher connects pupils’ families with Finnish society. Often, when people
move to Finland, they face numerous problems and do not know where to obtain proper
information. In such circumstances, a teacher seems to be a reliable source for this and
serves as a bridge between the family and the outer world.
The teacher’s protector role is closely connected with the space in which they work.
The participants presented the classroom as a nest, providing a safe place. The concept of
space is important within the socio-ecological framework as a system is often seen as
something adjacent in space (Cilliers, 2001). Moreover, parts of the system can be
scattered in different spatial locations, and can be a part of different systems at the
same time. Thus, different systems penetrate each other and interact with the
environment.
People shape and are shaped by spatiality, which From (2020) sees as symbolic and
material space. These aspects include the metaphorical expression a ‘safe space’, which,
with respect to school, describes an environment that enables pupils to feel safe to
participate in school life, express their ideas fearlessly, and share their knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviours (Holley & Steiner, 2013).
Creating a safe space is a critical task for the school, especially with respect to
preparatory education pupils being excluded from full participation, or not fully belong­
ing to Finnish-speaking groups (From & Sahlström, 2017). Moreover, the school should
also provide a safe space for teachers and create a work environment that fosters a sense
of belonging. As Rodgers and Raider-Roth (2006) put it, ‘schools need to be safe houses
for love, not only for the sake of the children they temporarily house, but also for the
teachers who are their long-term residents’ (p. 284).
However, as researchers have stated, the school environment is not always safe (Emu
& Nwannunu, 2019; Hatzichristou et al., 2020; Kodelja, 2019), and sometimes contains
violence, bullying and aggression. For example, in Finland, 10% of pupils are bullied
regularly at school (Chester et al., 2015). Only 24% of constantly victimised pupils are
ever identified, despite schools having structured anti-bullying programmes (Haataja et
al., 2016).
Othering is a phenomenon that produces marginality and inequality between different
members of a community. In othering, a dominant in-group (‘us’) creates out-groups
(‘them,’ ‘others’) by stigmatising a difference (Staszak, 2009). According to Kumashiro
(2000), school is a space in which the Other is dealt with in destructive ways. This
destruction can result from the actions of peers, teachers, and other school staff in the
form of discrimination, harassment, physical and verbal violence, exclusion, and isola­
tion. Othering can also be created in mainstream classes if, for example, a newcomer is
placed in a new school culture without proper support and a sense of safety.
Othering is common among teachers and is spread to pupils and parents (Nilsen et al.,
2017), and other teachers (Callender, 2020; Santoro, 2007).
In this paper, othering refers not only to RA pupils, but also to preparatory teachers. In
their narratives, the teachers represent an isolated group and are often distinguished
from mainstream teachers, being neither a part of the norm nor belonging to the
dominant groups (Devine et al., 2008).
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 509

One of the difficult tasks of the integration process is to overcome the prejudices of
mainstream teachers. In previous studies, Finnish teachers have been positively disposed
towards multicultural education in general, but poorly prepared for work with socio­
cultural issues (Hummelstedt-Djedou et al., 2018). The current study proves these
findings. Many mainstream teachers do not understand the nature of preparatory
education, intensifying their misunderstanding and bellicosity towards pupils and tea­
chers. Under such conditions, preparatory teachers are segregated and othered together
with their pupils.
The findings of this study reveal diversity in the classroom as another challenge,
although the respondents recognised that, often, immigrant children do not differ from
Finnish pupils. This finding broadly supports other studies. For example, Sinkkonen and
Kyttälä (2014) also found that cultural and linguistic diversity created challenges for
teachers. Moreover, in line with the current results, their participants reported that
children in preparatory classes were similar to Finnish children and had the same
capacity to learn. On the whole, the absence of a common language in the classroom
was seen as a challenge (Mansikka & Holm, 2011).
Students in the preparatory class have emotional problems. Having to change
schools is stressful enough for any child, and in the case of pupils in preparatory
education, this stress is compounded by moving to another country, the absence of
friends, and the inability to understand the language of their classmates. These pro­
blems may be even more complicated if a child has experienced traumatic events such
as becoming a refugee. In such circumstances, collaboration with other specialists is
deemed appropriate.
As the interviewees suggested, one of the objectives of improving immigrant educa­
tion is to find time and ways in which to collaborate with other school professionals.
This cooperation involves not only teachers but also school assistants, who are a
valuable resource in the Finnish school system. There should be mutual interest in
finding ways to improve everyday school life practices. The issues mentioned above
pose a considerable challenge, not only for schools, but also for the education of school
personnel. Putting cooperation with other school personnel into practice should be a
part of teacher training. Teachers who adopt skills to cope with diversity will be capable
of facing the increasing heterogeneity in schools (e.g., Jokikokko, 2005). The same skills
are essential for all professionals practising cooperative working models (Sinkkonen &
Kyttälä, 2014).

Institutional and community levels

All over the world, education faces teachers leaving the profession. External reasons for
leaving include heavy workloads, low salaries, challenging pupils, the low social status of
the profession, and the lack of professional support (Lanas, 2017). The same factors may
lead to teacher burnout, the rate of which is highest in culturally and ethnically diverse
classes (Dubbeld et al., 2019). This is also evident in the present study and serves as a
warning regarding teachers’ working conditions.
In many instances, preparatory teachers are left to cope alone. They are constantly
involved in the burden of building bridges between ‘us’ and ‘them’. Finland is proud of
the autonomy granted to teachers, but the autonomy of preparatory education teachers
510 T. SHESTUNOVA

has reached such a scale that it is approaching neglect, and teachers have to handle
problems on their own. Schools are duly experiencing pressure from education stake­
holders (Lindqvist & Nordänger, 2006). The increased workload and a long working day,
accompanied by voluntary commitments, have been discussed as predictors of a low level
of job satisfaction (Lindqvist & Nordänger, 2006; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015).
For more fruitful progress towards implementing education in multilingual condi­
tions, collaboration between education stakeholders is seen as a promising step that will
result in reducing the degree of teachers’ job dissatisfaction, and in meeting their
requests. Moreover, the present curriculum reinforces collaboration, as it emphasises
an integrative view of subjects (Haapaniemi et al., 2020). Such collaboration fosters a
sense of belonging, eliminates othering, and enables the creation of a safer space. At the
school level, well-coordinated team work can be set up between different specialists. A
multidisciplinary team would enable each specialist to contribute their expertise to the
common endeavour (Hall & Weaver, 2001). A supportive environment reduces the risk
of teacher burnout and stimulates professional development (Munthe, 2003).
Headteachers play a significant role in fostering teacher empowerment and in pro­
moting inclusive decision-making (McLeskey & Waldron, 2015), and effective leadership
can positively impact school performance. According to Taormina and Law (2000, p. 91),
effective administration should encourage supportive co-worker interaction and offer
rewards to reduce stress. Effective leadership-creating opportunities for school members
to learn from each other and foster a positive school culture enhance teacher well-being
(Jensen, 2014).

Public policy level

The pupil intake system needs to be reconsidered and improved. Pupil differentiation is
recommended by the Vastaantulo project, for example (Vastaantulo, 2017). Pupils
represent a diverse population, with teachers facing a complex situation on a daily
basis, depending on each child’s previous schooling. In this vein, at one end of the
spectrum are pupils with extensive school experience, while at the other end there is a
lack of experience and non-correspondence with the educational level of their age group
in Finland.
At the city level, close cooperation with schools is recommended. Education depart­
ments should take school experience into consideration when organising and planning
preparatory education. Issues such as adequately providing school staff with working
facilities and teaching materials require attention.
The results of the current study show that fixed-term employment is associated with
negative emotions. Moreover, the unstable conditions of school specialists with tempor­
ary employment contracts create obstacles at work and lead to poor motivation for
professional development.
The respondents’ dissatisfaction with their salaries is in line with previous studies.
According to research (Webb et al., 2004), 9 out of 13 teachers in Finland express a
wish for a payment reform. Low payment was considered the greatest disincentive for
remaining in the teaching profession. Other studies have shown positive correlations
between teachers’ salaries and their emotional and intellectual strengths (Song et al.,
2020).
 TEACHERS AND TEACHING 511

Researchers have recently recommended improving teacher education in terms of

language awareness (Aalto, 2019; Aalto et al., 2019; Shestunova, 2019; Tainio et al., 2019).
These recommendations include the development of multilingual and cultural compe­
tence, and the provision of future and present teachers with more information about
multilingual pupils and linguistically responsive teaching (Alisaari et al., 2019; Blakeslee,
2015; Dervin et al., 2012). The inclusion issue is being extensively discussed worldwide.
Good quality inclusion is based on an environment that supports and includes all
learners and provides them with a safe space. This raises the question of how inclusive
and supportive Finnish schools actually are. It seems that they are not ready to meet
current demands, not only in respect of RA pupils (Aalto et al., 2019), but also in respect
of their teachers. The lack of a safe space, the othering of teachers, and insufficient
attention to their work are the main markers of coping with a new reality. The visible
flipside of teacher autonomy in Finland is loneliness (OECD, 2020). The societal changes
caused by immigration and new languages and cultures in the classroom cannot be
resolved by individual teachers, no matter how educated and talented they are.
The results of the current study may be useful for education stakeholders when it
comes to mediating at different levels to diminish the problems encountered by teachers,
and in shedding light on how these levels can be accessed. It also provides a framework
for researchers to classify teacher challenges at individual, organisational, municipal, and
national levels. However, it is important to bear in mind that the system within the socio-
ecological framework is context-dependent (Berkes et al., 2000), to which end both the
system and its elements will change in a different context.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor
Tatsiana Shestunova is a PhD researcher at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of
Helsinki, Finland. Her research explores second language acquisition and teachers’ challenges in
preparatory education.

ORCID
Tatsiana Shestunova http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0415-6208

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