The Inclusion Process in the School Environment

Abstract

In this qualitative study conducted with 11 Latin American migrant children and adolescents who are students in the basic education network in the city of Rio de Janeiro, our aim is to understand how the group develops inclusion strategies within the school environment. We hereby seek to understand the broader insights that these strategies may provide regarding the migration experience of this community in Brazil. Initially, we discuss the distinction between including and integrating migrants. Subsequently, we propose an intercultural methodology, child-centered approach and grounded on Socio-Historical Psychology, for analyzing such phenomenon. Finally, we identify and discuss three inclusion strategies that the participants mobilize in their interaction with peers, teachers, and the Brazilian social context: marking of differences, attempting to blend into the group, and demanding equity. These strategies provide us with indications of their initial impressions in Brazil, challenges of their inclusion in the school, and the challenges faced when learning Portuguese.