Conference Agenda

Internationally, many countries continue to face challenges in ensuring inclusive school environments that support the engagement and educational success of newly arrived migrant students (OECD, 2019; Schachner et al., 2018). Early support in learning the language of instruction can improve learning outcomes and well-being; however, teachers feel they lack the necessary professional skills to support migrant students (Alisaari et al., 2022; Volknant & Licandro, 2024), or only seldom utilize co-teaching to develop this expertise (Taajamo et al., 2025; OECD, 2025). In culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, versatile instruction and collaboration among teachers with varied professional backgrounds can enhance teaching effectiveness (Dooly & Llompart Esbert, 2025; Sing & Jeannin, 2018). Although co-teaching approaches have been commonly applied to teaching students with special needs (see e.g. Friend & Cook, 1993; Barron & Friend, 2024), their potential to support the engagement of newly arrived students remains largely unexplored. As robust experimental designs are still needed to examine co-teaching’s impact (see De Weerdt et al., 2025), in this presentation, a co-teaching intervention is carried out to examine co-teaching's effectiveness in supporting newly arrived students’ lesson engagement.

With increasing migration, newly arrived students face additional educational transitions, such as changing school levels or programs, which are critical points for student engagement and well-being (Singh et al., 2022). For migrant students, transitions propose simultaneous challenges with both building new social networks and learning the increasingly complex language of schooling. In Finland, these transition processes are particularly salient as a growing number of migrant students enter the education system through preparatory education (prep-ed) (Vipunen, 2025). In prep-ed, new arrival youth focus on learning the language of instruction during their first academic year, and from there, they gradually transition to lower secondary school (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2015). Supporting this transition requires providing lower secondary level subject teachers with resources for linguistically and culturally inclusive pedagogy. This support is essential for promoting positive engagement as they invite newly arrived students into their classrooms.

Students’ engagement at school emerges gradually, from one lesson to the next. Lesson engagement highlights a distinct contextual dimension of student engagement by capturing how engaged students are in specific learning situations (Pöysä, 2020). Similarly to the overall student engagement, lesson engagement can also be seen as a tripartite construct with affective, behavioral and cognitive aspects of engagement (see Appleton et al., 2008; Fredricks et al., 2004). Considering the highly malleable nature of lesson engagement, teacher collaboration has the potential to increase teaching efficacy (Sasson & Malkinson, 2021; Satterlee Vizenor & Matuska, 2018) thereby fostering increased lesson engagement among new arrivals. Previously, the lesson engagement of mainstream students has been connected to the subject being studied (e.g., Vasalampi et al., 2021), time of lesson (e.g. Martin et al., 2015), types of learning activities (Heemskerk & Malmberg, 2020), teachers’ emotions (Pöysä et al., 2025), classroom organization (Pöysä et al., 2019), and emotional support from teachers (Pöysä et al., 2018; Pöysä et al. 2019). Against this backdrop, co-teaching offers a promising instructional structure through which teachers can enhance these dimensions of instruction, yet its potential for supporting newly arrived students’ lesson engagement has remained unexplored. To address this gap, the present study conducts a co‑teaching intervention in which prep‑ed and subject teachers collaborate to deliver high‑quality instruction for newly arrived students. The study is guided by the following research question: How does students’ affective, cognitive, and behavioral lesson engagement vary by teachers’ quality of collaboration during lessons?

Inclusive education seeks to ensure equitable learning opportunities for all students, regardless of individual abilities or educational needs. Within inclusive school environments, physical education (PE) plays a key role in promoting physical health, psychosocial wellbeing, social interaction, and positive self-perception. For students with special educational needs (SEN), participation in PE lessons is particularly important, as it supports motor development, emotional stability, and self-confidence.

Despite its potential, research and school practice indicate that students with SEN often encounter psychological and physical barriers in PE lessons. Limited motor coordination, reduced endurance, fear of failure, and negative comparison with peers may lead to decreased motivation and low self-esteem. These challenges frequently result in passive participation or avoidance of physical activity, undermining both educational and health-related outcomes. From a health education perspective, there is a need for pedagogical approaches that actively support motivation, wellbeing, and positive self-concept among students with SEN.

This action research study investigates how cooperative learning strategies support interpersonal communication and social adaptation among newly admitted Grade 7 students. Conducted at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Science and Mathematics in Karatau district of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, this research contributes to broader European and international discussions on student-centred pedagogical practices by demonstrating how cooperative learning strategies can support newly admitted students’ social adaptation and the development of interpersonal relationships.

In Kazakhstan, students enter Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools from diverse educational, regional, and socio-cultural backgrounds starting from Grade 7. For many learners, this transition is accompanied by social stress, limited peer interaction, and difficulties in building interpersonal relationships.

The formation of students’ interpersonal relationships remains a challenge in contemporary education systems. Although learning is often described as a social process, in practice many students struggle to communicate effectively, particularly when they enter unfamiliar school environments. Social isolation, misunderstandings among peers, feelings of insecurity, and a reluctance to engage in collaborative work are common features of classroom life and frequently contribute to a negative psychological climate and declining learning motivation. When these social dynamics are overlooked, the adaptation process can become a source of stress rather than growth.

International research on cooperative learning has demonstrated its effectiveness in developing students’ social skills, interpersonal communication, and ability to work collaboratively. In particular, the works of David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson (2009) emphasize cooperative learning as an effective approach that enhances not only academic achievement but also social, personal, and communicative skills. Studies by Slavin (1995) highlight that certain modifications of cooperative learning, which incorporate intergroup competition, can increase students’ engagement and motivation. In contrast, Kagan’s (Kagan, n.d.) structural approach to cooperative learning focuses on helping students perceive one another as equal partners rather than rivals, thereby fostering harmonious interpersonal relationships. Additionally, researchers studying Singapore’s (2014) educational practices conclude that cooperative learning positively influences collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills.

This study addresses the following research question:

- Which teaching strategies support students’ learning as equal partners within learning environments grounded in trust and cooperation rather than competition?

To address these questions, a qualitative research approach was adopted involving 15 students Grade 7 from 1 class. A Peer Relations Questionnaire collected at the beginning of the academic year indicated that 80% of newly admitted Grade 7 students required psychological and pedagogical support in adapting to the new school environment. This study responds to this challenge by examining whether cooperative learning strategies can reduce social isolation and promote meaningful peer interaction.