Conference Agenda

In Quebec, the only French-speaking province in Canada, more than one-third of students are first- or second-generation immigrants (Quebec Ministry of Education, 2025), and initial teacher training in addressing students' ethnocultural diversity varies depending on the university attended (Larochelle-Audet et al., 2013). As in other contexts, taking into account the ethnocultural diversity of students and their families can pose complex challenges, and the level of expertise developed by teachers in this regard varies considerably (Mc Andrew, Audet & Bakhshaei, 2016). Moreover, research had already shown that initial teacher education in this area was uneven, varying not only according to the training program but also according to the university attended (Larochelle-Audet et al., 2013, p. 1).

More broadly, the pluralization of French-language schools in Quebec (Canada) is a relatively recent historical phenomenon, and it appears that this reality has not yet fully entered the collective consciousness. As a result, it is often difficult to convince pre-service teachers of the importance and relevance of learning how to intervene in ethnoculturally diverse contexts, especially when they plan to teach in regions considered to be more homogeneous. Yet, the heterogeneity that now characterizes most classrooms requires future teachers to develop a broader approach to diversity, rather than seeking “turnkey” ways to adapt to students and their families based solely on their origins (Mc Andrew & Audet, 2020). Consequently, principals that may appear theoretical and far removed from practical “know-how”, are put into practice must be made clearer to students. Particular attention must therefore be paid to linking these principles to real-life teaching situations, in order to enable them to develop professional know-how (Schön, 1983; Giddens, 1987) in ethnoculturally diverse contexts.

From a policy perspective, a directive issued by the Ministry of Education in 1998 stipulates that “school staff must be trained to meet the educational challenges associated with the ethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity of Quebec society” (Quebec Ministry of Education, 1998, p. 32). This directive remains highly relevant today, given that more than one-third of students in Quebec now come from immigrant backgrounds, whether first or second generation. In the same vein, the Reference Framework for Professional Competencies for Teachers identifies Competency 7, “Taking into account the heterogeneity of students,” as a core component of inclusive teaching and as closely linked to intercultural teaching (Quebec Ministry of Education, 2020, p. 62).

Finally, one of the most significant conclusions of the meta-analysis conducted by Mc Andrew et al. (2015) – which drew on 62 research studies carried out over a ten-year period in Quebec on the educational success of students from immigrant backgrounds – was that teacher training in diversity represents a major area requiring sustained and long-term investment. More specifically, Mc Andrew et al. (2015, p. 295) emphasize the need to adapt teaching practices in order to intervene more equitably in diverse contexts, while also preparing all students to live in a pluralistic society. Three key priorities were identified: (A) the construction of complex, non-ethnicizing representation of students from immigrant backgrounds, (B) the development of greater awareness of the role of systemic and school-related dynamics in the success of these students, and (C) the recognition of the contributions of languages and cultures of origin, as well as those of immigrant families to educational success. Taken together, these findings highlight the need to rethink pre-service teacher training, particularly with regard to teaching in ethnoculturally diverse contexts.

Racism is both a social and an educational problem (Bhopal, 2011; UNESCO, 2023). It is a system of social power relations that has developed historically and that reproduces social inequalities and legitimises exclusion (Miles, 1992). This article addresses the question of how reflective skills can be systematically promoted among students training to become primary school teachers in order to enable them to deal professionally with racism in a school context. The theoretical framework is formed by the combination of primary school research, racism research and professional research, in particular reflective research. The starting point is the empirically proven fact that in Germany racism is a reality in schools (Gomolla & Radtke, 2009; Leiprecht & Steinbach, 2015) and manifests itself in structural, institutional and interactional forms, including in primary schools (Nguyen, 2013; Robert et al., 2022). Racism therefore represents a challenge for primary school education that prospective teachers must address professionally. As 'schools of diversity and commonality' (cf. Schorch, 2007), primary schools have the task of preventing discrimination by valuing the individual learning requirements of all children and promoting their developmental potential. This involves reflecting on experiences of implicit and explicit discrimination, overcoming segregation, and establishing equality (cf. Lange & Pohlmann-Rother, 2025).

The complexity of society and the presence of racist discrimination in everyday school life require teachers to have specific professional skills in order to be able to respond appropriately (Scheunpflug, 2021; Taube 2022). Various studies indicate that dealing with racism professionally is not only necessary, but also a central component of professional competence in teacher training (Massumi & Fereidooni 2017; Weis, 2017).

The University of Würzburg is responding to this gap in primary school teacher training programmes with a seminar concept that focuses on reflection as a key professional skill for dealing with racism in primary schools. The aim of the presentation is to introduce the seminar concept and present the initial results of the seminar evaluation. The concept aims to specifically initiate and further develop students' reflective skills. Reflective skills are a key resource, as dealing with racism professionally is not based solely on acquiring knowledge, but in particular on the ability to critically reflect on oneself and others (Ohm & Fashtomi, 2024). Sensitivity to racism is a fundamental prerequisite for successful educational relationships and for building an inclusive school culture (Reich, 2020).

The systematisation of reflective skills according to Franken and Preisfeld (2019) forms the theoretical basis for the seminar concept. This differentiates reflective competence along two dimensions: breadth of reflection and depth of reflection. The breadth of reflection encompasses the scope of knowledge areas that are included in the reflection. The seminar addresses specialist knowledge on racism, subject-specific didactic knowledge on designing discrimination-sensitive teaching situations, and pedagogical knowledge on dealing with racist interactions in the classroom. The depth of reflection describes the complexity of reflective engagement and ranges from factual description to action-oriented reasoning and analytical reflection to critical discourse. The seminar creates learning opportunities that encourage students to move from the descriptive level to an analytical and critical-discursive discussion. They are enabled to compare options for action, reflect on their consequences and embed them in social, historical and normative contexts. In summary, the article shows how the combination of theoretical foundations and didactic implementation can contribute to initiating and promoting critical reflection skills on racism. The results of the evaluation provide initial indications of the extent to which the seminar concept stimulates students' reflection processes and contributes to professionalisation in dealing with racism in primary schools.

Reforms of teacher education usually have the underlying question of the role and function of what makes a ‘good’ teacher. Associated with this question is how government policy agendas address whether teachers should be educated and/or trained as ‘technicians’ or as professionals. In Sweden more profound reform programmes of teacher education are introduced every decade. These reforms are driven by the belief that raising standards within the school system depends on improvement of teacher quality and thereby teacher education/training, overlooking the risk of pushing towards reforms that are simplistic and leading to an ‘atomised’ and fragmented education system. Of course, there is a need of improvement but there is a risk that reforms can be a part of the problem and not a solution, or as Åstrand puts it: “Can fragmentation in teacher education be better understood in the light of the reforms as a fragmenting force rather than the opposite?”.

A related reform, a national professional merit system for teachers was launched in Sweden 2025. The intensions expressed in the proposition was to strengthen the teacher profession and enhance the professional development and structure for career advancement (Prop. 2022/23:45). The merit system is based on individual university credits and consists of four levels bounding from 15 ECTS on level one to a completed PhD on level four. The merits are intended to correlate with salary raise and possibilities for certain positions within the teacher profession. The regulation was welcomed by the Swedish teacher union due to its possibilities to strengthen individual teachers’ agency regarding their professional development, and the direction towards a more transparent system for salaries (Swedish teachers’ union 2025).

However, what constitutes as meriting is strictly regulated by a paragraph (5§) in the regulation (SFS 2025:280) where the government has defined the areas considered valid for the merit system. Included in 5§ is school-subjects, subject teaching methodology, special needs pedagogy, leadership and cognitive science. Pedagogy and educational sciences are two large, intertwined research areas that has been largely excluded as valid areas to study and get credits for in the national merit system. Critique was raised on the narrow focus of the paragraph which exclude research areas so central for the teacher profession (se for example the response on the proposition by the association of Swedish higher education institutions, SUHF 2025 and Swedish teachers’ union 2025). Despite the critique, the paragraph was implemented.

This paper presentation takes its point of departure in an earlier study where we analyse teacher students’ reflection on the broad function of educational setting, belonging and motivation (Neuhaus and Berglund 2024). The students in the study wrote about their situation during the pandemic (2020 - 2021) when university studies were on-line only. The students’ voices on digitalisation, isolation, and their future role as teachers illustrate the importance of belonging and motivation in education. We use the analysis of the students’ reflections to consider educational quality and purpose in relation to the above mentioned 5§ and its possible narrowing of areas in professional development for teachers. The aim was to visualize if areas of importance for teacher students, in relation to relational aspects of their future profession, is covered in the definition of what constitutes as meriting professional development for teachers according to 5§. If not, we asked what falls outside of the research areas defined in the paragraph.