Conference Agenda

In superdiverse societies such as Finland and Germany, multilingualism is both a social reality and a contested phenomenon. While linguistic diversity has become an everyday condition shaped by migration and global mobility, institutional and societal structures continue to be dominated by a linguistic monolingual norm. In particular, forms of migrational multilingualism often collide with prevailing ideas of linguistic legitimacy, resulting in hierarchical language regimes that privilege certain languages while marginalising others (Dirim & Khakpour, 2018). Children and young people growing up within these tensions are especially affected, as linguistic hierarchies intersect with educational trajectories, recognition, and opportunities for participation (Ağırdağ, 2016; Piller et al., 2024).

Research has shown that these dynamics are deeply entangled with power relations: languages function as markers of belonging and exclusion, thereby reproducing broader social inequalities. Despite the empirical normality of multilingualism, monolingualism remains embedded in institutional frameworks and is often reinforced by feelings of alienation, dislocation, and fears of losing national identity (Peleman, 2023). At the same time, a substantial body of research highlights the cognitive, social, and educational benefits of multilingualism when it is recognised and valued as a resource rather than framed as a deficit (Ağırdağ, 2014; Bialystok, 2018).

This symposium starts from the premise that language is not merely a tool of communication. Language connects individuals to others, to cultural histories, and to social networks, thereby shaping fluid identities and everyday experiences of inclusion and exclusion. Consequently, linguistic recognition is closely linked to emotional wellbeing (Krumm, 2009; Soares et al., 2020). This connection is particularly salient in light of growing concerns about adolescents’ emotional wellbeing worldwide (Keeley et al., 2021) and evidence that young people with migration backgrounds are at increased risk of lower well-being due to structural and social stressors (Rodríguez et al., 2020).

Conceptually, the symposium understands belonging as a key dimension of socially sustainable wellbeing (e.g., Siraj-Blatchford, 2009)). Belonging is approached, on the one hand, as a structural condition shaped by relations of recognition and power, determining who is granted legitimate access to educational participation (Hummrich et al., 2024). On the other hand, it is understood as a subjective and affective experience of feeling safe, comfortable, and ‘at home’ (Antonsich, 2010), in educational and social spaces such as the family and in school, and with same-aged peers (Ahmed et al., 2010). These dimensions are deeply intertwined: without institutional recognition of linguistic repertoires, experiences of belonging remain fragile, while affective disconnection undermines meaningful participation.

Against this backdrop, the symposium addresses the overarching question:
How can multilingualism become a resource for multilingual speakers in linguistically diverse societies and what is the role of belonging?

The three papers contribute complementary perspectives across educational stages and methodological approaches. Paper 1 examines multilingualism as a resource in qualitative research by exploring how interview settings can be designed beyond linguicist barriers, thereby fostering epistemic inclusion and participant agency. Paper 2 investigates the relationship between heritage language proficiency and emotional wellbeing among multilingual adolescents, highlighting belonging as a crucial aspect within this relationship. Paper 3 focuses on early childhood education and analyses how recognition practices shape families’ sense of belonging in superdiverse institutional contexts.

Together, the contributions critically interrogate how belonging can be operationalised in education research under conditions of persistent linguistic hierarchies, and to what extent multilingual speakers can be empowered to experience agency in negotiating belonging. The symposium concludes with a discussant’s reflection, situating the papers within broader debates on decolonising education, research, and institutional practices. Overall, the symposium highlights the interconnections between plurilingualism, belonging, and wellbeing as central to more equitable and ambitious approaches to language education in superdiverse societies.

Sub-paper had to be withdrawn

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We know from previous research that strongly developed heritage language proficiencies can be emotionally meaningful for multilingual adolescents from migrant backgrounds, including second generation youth (Bals et al., 2011; Ticheloven & Blom, 2025; Ticheloven et al., 2025). Yet, both heritage language proficiencies and emotional wellbeing are highly socially situated, depending not only on broader political and ideological climates in which heritage languages are valued or stigmatized, but also on individual and familial contexts, such as when, how, and with whom heritage languages are used (McLellan et al., 2022). Accordingly, relationships between language proficiencies and developmental outcomes, such as wellbeing, are best understood when examined within their broader social contexts (De Bot et al., 2007). Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis, the present study explored associations between self-perceived heritage language proficiency and positive affect, thereby considering family belonging, school conflict, number of books at home, and literacy enjoyment as specific individual situations. The present study analyzes data from the project, ‘Multilingual Development: A Longitudinal Perspective (MEZ)’ (Klinger et al., 2022). Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and conducted at the University of Hamburg, MEZ aimed at providing insights into the individual and contextual conditions that influence adolescents’ multilingual development (Klinger et al., 2022). The analysis was conducted in a highly selective, homogenized case population of 28 second generation multilingual adolescents, with advanced proficiency in their heritage language. The results indicate that high self-perceived heritage language proficiency alone might not explain high positive affect, as it consistently appears in combination with other resources. The results further revealed that nearly all multilingual adolescents who reported high positive affect, reported high family belonging and an absence of school conflict, thus, emphasizing the dominant role of social family and school contexts that adolescents grow up in. Indeed, warm family relationships and a conflict-free school environment are known to be critical for the emotional wellbeing of multilingual adolescents (De Houwer, 2020b; De Leersnyder et al., 2022; Juang et al., 2024). Previous research has suggested that the importance of social support may have an even larger impact in vulnerable groups. For instance, Stewart and Suldo (2011) found that the absence of social support had a bigger impact on more vulnerable, low-achieving students than on high-achieving peers.

De Bot, K., Lowie, W., & Verspoor, M. (2007). A dynamic systems theory approach to second language acquisition. Bilingualism: language and cognition, 10(1), 7-21. De Houwer, A. (2020a). Harmonious bilingualism: Well-being for families in bilingual settings. Handbook of home language maintenance and development, 63-83. De Leersnyder, J., Gündemir, S., & Ağirdağ, O. (2022). Diversity approaches matter in international classrooms: How a multicultural approach buffers against cultural misunderstandings and encourages inclusion and psychological safety. Studies in Higher Education, 47(9), 1903-1920. Juang, L. P., Schwarzenthal, M., & Schachner, M. K. (2024). Heritage culture and national identity trajectories: Relations to classroom cultural diversity climate and socioemotional adjustment for adolescents of immigrant descent. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 27(1), 63-87. Klinger, T., Brandt, H., & Dittmers, T. (2022). The making of MEZ–Multilingual development: A longitudinal perspective. Study design and methods. In Language Development in Diverse Settings: Interdisziplinäre Ergebnisse aus dem Projekt" Mehrsprachigkeitsentwicklung im Zeitverlauf “(MEZ) (pp. 1-33). Springer. McLellan, R., Faucher, C., & Simovska, V. (2022). Wellbeing and Schooling: Why Are Cross-Cultural and Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives Needed? Stewart, T., & Suldo, S. (2011). Relationships between social support sources and early adolescents' mental health: The moderating effect of student achievement level. Psychology in the Schools, 48(10), 1016-1033.

In Finland, immigration has steadily increased over the past two decades, reflecting the broader global movement of people across borders, driven by social dynamics and crises such as the war in Ukraine (European Commission, 2022). As a result of these global shifts, the Finnish education system has seen a significant rise in the number of children with immigrant backgrounds. Despite the growing number of immigrant families in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), research in this field remains limited (Arvola et al., 2020; Lastikka, 2019; Lastikka & Lipponen, 2016). This is particularly important given recent studies indicating that the general Finnish population perceives a lower level of well-being than in the past, with young people with an immigrant backgrounds at even greater risk of exclusion compared to the majority population (Kilpi-Jakonen et al., 2024; Rajavuori, 2024). This highlights the need for further research, particularly into families' lived experiences. This paper will examine the impacts of rising immigration and societal diversity through the lens of superdiversity as a concept. The concept of superdiversity was developed by Steven Vertovec (2007) as a critique of traditional multiculturalism. It recognises the need to group populations according to more complex demographics. Previous studies (Lavanti et al., 2025) have examined on how to support families with an immigrant background to achieve socially sustainable well-being in superdiverse Finnish ECEC settings. The study viewed a sense of belonging, the need to be loved and to be part of something, as a fundamental human need and a vital aspect of socially sustainable well-being within the ECEC context. The results highlight the need to explore the deeper meaning of belonging. Therefore, this conceptual paper focuses on another vital human need and important aspect of well-being, recognition (Honneth, 1995; Taylor, 1994). Feeling loved, respected and recognised contributes to quality of life and is an essential part of a sense of belonging (Laitinen, 2022). The aim is to find how the recognition has been used in educational studies and how it contributes to families' sense of belonging and human flourishing in educational studies. Human flourishing can be seen as part of the well-being concept, with well-being being the umbrella term for it. The concept of human flourishing originates from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's (Ryan et al., 2014) notion of eudaimonia, which equates to living a good life.

Arvola, O., Reunamo, J., & Kyttälä, M. (2020). Kohti kieli-ja kulttuuritietoista kasvatusta. Kasvattajat lasten osallisuuden mahdollistajina varhaiskasvatuksen oppimisympäristöissä. Ammattikasvatuksen aikakauskirja, 22(1), 44-60. Honneth, A. (1995). The fragmented world of the social: essays in social and political philosophy. State University of New York Press. Laitinen, S. (2022). Work-related well-being profiles among health education teachers. Education Sciences, 12(5), 343. Lastikka, A. L., & Lipponen, L. (2016). Immigrant Parents' Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Care Practices in the Finnish Multicultural Context. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 18(3), 75-94. Lavanti, L., Kuusisto, A., & Harju-Luukkainen, H. (2025). ECEC: personnel perspectives on supporting families with an immigrant background living in Finland. In Handbook on Families and Education (pp. 176-190). Edward Elgar Publishing. Ryan, R. M., & Martela, F. (2016). Eudaimonia as a way of living: Connecting Aristotle with self-determination theory. In Handbook of eudaimonic well-being (pp. 109-122). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Taylor, C. (1994). Multiculturalism: Examining the politics of recognition. Princeton University Press, 41 William St., Princeton, NJ 08540.. Vertovec, S. (2007). Super-diversity and its implications. Ethnic and racial studies, 30(6), 1024-1054.