Education and training

Description: The perception of being treated fairly in the classroom and at school is important for pupils. Previous research shows that these perceptions are associated with positive school outcomes such as motivation, enjoyment and interest in learning. In contrast, the perception of being treated unfairly at school is associated with higher levels of aggression, hostility and resistance to teachers. This research project studies classroom justice perceptions for the first time in an ethnically diverse context with attention for the perspective of ethnic cultural minorities. Using qualitative methodologies, we study classroom justice among different age groups (parents, adolescents and elementary school children) across generations. To develop a better understanding about this phenomenon, we also study how parental socialization, societal changes across generations and child development help shape these perceptions.
Promoter(s): Bart Van de Putte , Alain Van Hiel
Researcher(s): Fien Geenen
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Political and Social Sciences , Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Period of time: 2020 - 2024

Description: Adult second language (L2) learners with limited first language schooling benefit less from L2 instruction than their higher educated counterparts. The impact of L2 instruction on low print literate, low-educated L2 (LESLLA) learners remains largely unexplored, despite their significant presence among immigrants. This research aims to assess how LESLLA learners respond to L2 instruction by pursuing three objectives: evaluating the extent of L2 gains among learners with varying literacy and educational backgrounds; identifying effective teaching practices for adult L2, especially LESLLA learners; and exploring LESLLA learners' processing of written L2 input. By collecting extensive semi-longitudinal data, conducting a teacher effectiveness study, and experimenting within a frequently overlooked research demographic, this study aims to elucidate the efficacy of contemporary adult L2 instruction, potentially influencing both L2 research and teaching methods.
Promoter(s): Bart Deygers
Researcher(s): Marieke Vanbuel
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2021 - 2024

Description: The main aim of this research project is an intersectional analysis of in- and excluding mechanisms in higher education for ethnic minority students and those from socio-economically vulnerable groups. During this project, the researcher(s) will investigate barriers & support-systems within higher education in a comprehensive way. To do so, two perspectives are employed: the agency perspective (i.e., the perspective of the student) and the system perspective (i.e., the perspective of the lecturer and system of higher education).
Website research project: https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/projects/diversity-and-inclusion-higher-education
Promoter(s): Wendelien Vantieghem
Researcher(s): Jente De Coninck
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2022 - 2026

Description: The Diversity in Education project considers the social inequalities in the Belgian educational system based on ethnicity, socio-economic background, disability and gender. In collaboration with KULeuven and ULB, the project has three research objectives. 1) An analytic overview of the current knowledge concerning social inequalities in the Belgian educational system 2) An analysis of the ways in which schools and teachers deal with diversity at school 3) An innovative analysis of the orientation process in schools
Website research project: https://www.unia.be/nl/publicaties-statistieken/publicaties/diversiteitsbarometer-onderwijs
Promoter(s): Reinhilde Pulinx , Piet Van Avermaet
Researcher(s): Wendelien Vantieghem , Iris Roose
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2015 - 2016

Description: As the number of newly arrived minors (NAMs) has rapidly grown in Europe over the past decades, researchers have started to address the health consequences of migration for children. Theoretical insights suggest that NAMs are at a double jeopardy of loneliness, because of their age and migration status. Moreover, loneliness among NAMs is of major concern, as it could exacerbate existing ethnic inequalities in mental health, physical health and school outcomes. The aim of the project is threefold. First, we will estimate prevalence rates of loneliness in NAMs and identify migration-related characteristics associated with loneliness. Second, we will investigate whether school social capital protects against experiences of loneliness. Third, we will explore the mechanisms behind the association between school social capital and loneliness. To achieve these objectives, we will carry out a mixed-method study in secondary schools providing reception programs.
Promoter(s): Benedicte Deforche , Piet Bracke
Researcher(s): Sarah Devos , Katrijn Delaruelle
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
Period of time: 2021 - 2025

Description: Increasingly, language test scores are used to make decisions that have a fundamental impact on the lives of people, but we know little about the decision-making processes underlying these practices. This doctoral research will operate at the intersection of applied linguistics, ethics, and human rights studies to achieve three research objectives: Examining the policy literacy of language test developers interacting with policy makers; Gauging the role that test developers assign to existing ethical codes and validity principles in making decisions with ethical implications; Determining whether test developers respect the human rights of all candidates equally in their testing policy.
Promoter(s): Bart Deygers
Researcher(s): Laura Schildt
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2021 - 2025

Description: In many countries, global mobility and migration create a more diverse society. This shift in population also reflects in schools. However, pupils have great diversity in terms of ethnicity, talents, beliefs, and language skills; we see that Flemish schools still apply a monolingual language policy. Whereby Dutch is considered to be the standard language of instruction. Many Flemish schools completely ban the home language of pupils. This study aims to look at the school's language policy dynamics and how they influence each other (micro-, meso- and macro-level). During this ethnographic research, an intervention takes place, 2 classes of a Flemish secondary school are observed, interviews are conducted with teachers, pupils, management, and language teachers throughout the different phases of the research. This research aims to investigate how teachers' perceptions, attitudes, behaviors towards multilingualism change in the classroom after they implement FML in their own classroom.
Website research project: https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/projects/multilingualism-secondary-education-flanders-dynamics-language-policy
Promoter(s): Wendelien Vantieghem , Piet Van Avermaet
Researcher(s): Maxime Van Raemdonck
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2019 - 2023

Description: The aim of this project is to compare the linguistic reality of Dutch immersion classes for newly arrived migrants to the linguistic reality of Dutch-medium instruction in secondary education. Additionally, the quasi-experimental component of the study will examine the impact of specific didactic interventions on the Dutch language proficiency and overall study success of Dutch L2 students in secondary education.
Promoter(s): Bart Deygers , Ellen Simon
Researcher(s): Shauny Seynhaeve
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2020 - 2024

Description: Schools and teachers around the world are facing a growing diversity and increasing complexity (social inequality, labeling, …). In the past, pupils’ assignments to classrooms and schools have rather fostered segregation than encouraged inclusion. Today, we see a tendency towards more inclusive learning environments (cf. amongst others, the UN Convention of 2007, ratified by Belgium in 2009). However, this poses enormous challenges to the professional development of (pre-service) teachers and teams. The main objective of the project ‘POTENTIAL’, Power to Teach All, is to develop the competences of (pre-service) teachers and school teams to create inclusive learning environments. 
Website research project: https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/projects/potential-power-teach-all-competence-development-create-inclusive-learning-environments
Promoter(s): Piet Van Avermaet
Researcher(s): Wendelien Vantieghem , Iris Roose
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2016 - 2019

Description: Although language diversity poses short-term challenges, early multilingualism and multi-literacy come with great benefits, at least, when it is correctly supported. Currently, many language minority (LM) families are distressed about language issues and many early childhood (EC) professionals (such as parenting advisors and childcare staff) feel insecure in their approach toward LM families. This project aims to transform this societal problem by promoting early multilingualism and multi-literacy in childhood and childcare in Flanders. In the first phase of the project, large-scale data and small-scale will be collected. This will generate critical insights about the needs of LM families and competencies of EC professionals. In the second phase, this knowledge will be integrated into five valorisation applications that will address the broad field of EC professionals.
Website research project: https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/projects/pro-m-promoting-early-multilingualism-childhood-and-childcare
Promoter(s): Wendelien Vantieghem , Piet Van Avermaet
Researcher(s): Victoria Van Oss
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2018 - 2022

Description: This research aims at reconfiguring decolonization in higher education by means of re-imagining how to organize higher education in regards to accessibility and knowledge production. Flanders is characterized by growing diversity. Not only the number of persons with migration background is increasing, but the internal diversity of these groups is too. This ‘superdiversity’ of the population in Flanders is an important challenge for policymakers and the service-providing society (Noppe et al., 2018). We aim to understand what decolonization can mean within the context of the University of Ghent, whilst staying close to the perspectives and experiences of students with a migration background and mapping barriers to participation in higher education. Additionally working with the diversity sensitivity of teachers through monitoring learning networks and looking at role models and leadership in the context of promoting students with a migration background within the University of Ghent.
Promoter(s): Elisabeth De Schauwer
Researcher(s): Yasmine Kaied
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Period of time: 2022 - 2028

Description: The STAMINA project (2022-2026) aims to gain a better understanding of mental health stigma among ethnic minority and majority adolescents in Flanders and examines how the school plays a role in this, more specific, social relationships with peers and teachers, the school culture, the school structure and the mental health school policy. It is funded by FWO and carried out under the supervision of Dr. Fanny D’hondt from the research group CuDOS (Department of Sociology), and Dr. Melissa Ceuterick and Prof. Piet Bracke from the resaerch group Hedera (Department of Sociology).
Website research project: https://www.ugent.be/ps/sociologie/en/researchgroups/hedera/research-projects/stamina-project.htm
Promoter(s): Piet Bracke , Fanny D'hondt , Melissa Ceuterick
Researcher(s): Lies Saelens
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
Period of time: 2022 - 2026

Description: Adult second language (L2) learners who have had little or no schooling in their first language - commonly referred to as LESLLA learners - have been largely neglected in second language acquisition research. Yet, the proportion of LESLLA learners is not small: 40% of the immigrants in Belgium and other Western countries is low-literate and low-educated. This research project examines whether and how LESLLA learners benefit from L2 instruction by pursuing three goals: (1) determine to what extent LESLLA learners gain from L2 instruction; (2) identify what teacher practices work best in L2 instruction to adult learners, and LESLLA learners in particular; (3) explore how LESLLA learners process written input. By gathering longitudinal data, performing a teacher effectiveness study, and conducting an experimental study in a research population that has long been neglected in L2 research, this study will provide a rich picture on the effectiveness of current-day adult L2 instruction.
Promoter(s): Bart Deygers
Researcher(s): Marieke Vanbuel
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2021 - 2024