Migrant Children and Integration-Related Challenges in Lithuania: The Opinions of Educators (A Case Study)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Overall

This is an important topic that addresses teachers experiences of working with migrant youth through the analysis of case studies and interviews. The authors do an exceptional job at explaining the context of migrant children in education in Lithuania and the relevance of this research.

Although I see great potential for this piece, there are some larger areas that could use improvement before publication, which I offer with the spirit of making this as clear as possible for wider readership.

First, there are questions on the methodological rigour, given that there is not validity or reliabiliy measures given that align with the qualitative tradition. Moreover, the type of content analysis and analytic plan was not elaborated on. There was also no mention of ethics such as an IRB approval.

Second, there are many themes and subthemes given in the "results' section. So many, that it became confusing to follow. I recommend presenting the two main thematic categories (daily practices and challenges) first before diving in to the themes/subthemes. Then discussing each theme for daily practices, followed by a summative paragraph that ties all of the subthemes together before moving on to the thematic category relating to challenges.

Third, the last theme presented was only relevant in one interview which generally would not lend itself to be considered a theme, given that it is not a theme amongst most or all participants. Perhaps this could be a starting point for hypothesis generating for future work. If there were other reasons the authors came to the conclusion that this was a theme, then those reasons should be presented.

Overall, the text needs to be reviewed for standard English conventions including spelling, punctuation, syntax, and grammar. There is also confusion regarding why some words or phrases are in bold-face text without apparent reason, therefore, consistent formatting should be reviewed and applied throughout.

Introduction/Literature Review

- Culturally relevant and culturally responsive teaching have been distinguished within the field as two seperate but interrelated approachs. Picking one and describing it would be more clear (line 86).

- The authors do a great job identifying current literature and recommendations for integration of migrant children and their families. However, there is no analysis or integration of the literature holistically. Each article is described individually and the flow between paragraphs is not smooth.

Context Information and Methods

- The information presented as context may be better suited for the introduction section or in its own section titled "study context and setting" so that the methods section stands alone and is clear and concise.

- Discussion of IRB approval, measures of consent, and compensation for participation would be appropriate for this section and would increase the validity of the work.

-Study aims should be written clearly and align with the chosen methodology and questions asked in the semi-structured interviews.

- Discussion of the topics or themes of the semi-structured interview questions would be helpful in understanding the nature of the interviews. 

-The authors identify content analysis to be the analytic strategy. Content analysis can take three different approaches: conventional, directed, and summative. Distinguishing which approach was taken would be beneficial.

-Reliability and validity measures typical for the qualitative tradition such as positionality, reflexivity, triangulation, and negative case selection are missing from this study.

Results

- "Findings" would be a more appropriate term for this section given the qualitative nature of the study

- It is not clear if the sentences in italics are direct quotes from participants. If so, they should be clearly identified as such using quotation marks and block quote formatting when appropriate.

-Table 1 formatting makes it hard to read

-The current presentation of the total number of themes is confusing. There are three themes related to daily practices (wih 13 subthemes), three themes related to challenges teachers face, with several subthemes. Inttroducing all of the themes first before breaking each theme into its own paragraph would help with readability and understanding.

-The third theme "Feeling of meaningless" only emerged in one interview. I am curious to see any explanation as to why it was included when it was not dominant theme amongst the participants but rather the experience of one educator. Was there ancedotal evidence that other educators were feeling the same way or did you use any triangulation methods to discover this theme? Perhaps this could be a starting point for hypothesis generating for future research in the discussion section rather than a theme for this paper.

Discussion

- The authors provide important conclusions regarding the need for cultural competencies for all involved with the child (teachers, children, parents, and peers).

- Identifying a theoritical framework to help position and understand the findings may help the authors structure their findings section and help the readers better understand the findings more broadly.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Reviewing for clarity, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and grammar throughout the document is important for readability and understanding.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

thank You so much for valuable comments and suggestions to improve my article. Firstly, I am very sorry for my English. The new version of the article is edited. 

Secondly, I've added information about methodology.

The suggestion to rearrange the presentation of the results was the most challenging. I did it the way I was taught to analyze qualitative data. In addition, it was important for me to point out all important details of daily experience.  Understanding that there are many ways of presenting results, I had no time to deep in other approaches. I promise I will do that. Thanks to Your suggestion, there are now summative paragraphs.

Thanks to Your suggestion subchapter "Study context" and "Method" are now separated.

Than you for Your willingness to help me.

Best Regards,

thankful author

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

A very important research project and an important contribution to the understanding of the challenges facing educators in implementing a culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms/schools. The authors need to pay attention the the following:

While it appears that the authors are using multicultural education and intercultural education interchangeably it is important to make the relationship between the two clear to the reader. Please check out:

In book (2009): Dialogs on diversity and global education. Chapter: Multicultural education and intercultural education: is there a difference? Publisher: Peter Lang. Editors: M. Talib, J. Loima, H. Paavola, S. Patrikainen

S66: Research question: How multicultural environment is created daily? Please rephrase to: How is a multicultural environment created daily?

S238-241: Please provided more detail of the coding process and how you ensured validity of your results.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

S46: Please make correction in the sentence "Children are required to move into host country only instruction..." to "...country's only instruction..."

S47&48: Please rephrase this sentence, for example "Speaking a different language from that of the host country is often perceived as a problem leading to segregation into language classes."

S55: Please delete the phrases in brackets because the meaning of that phrase is achieved by "...merely reproduce discrimination and othering of migrant children."

S60: Please amend the word 'Implying' to 'Implied.'

S63: Please delete 'for', it should read "...respect social and cultural differences..."

S70&71: This sentence needs to be revised, not sure what you're trying to state.

S74: "...might help to explore multicultural education programs upgrading migrant children's rights and responsibilities." Something is missing between programs and upgrading, either a comma or a word such as 'towards...'

S92&93 "...remove cultural boundaries that are like a wall with other cultures." I suggest you change the wall metaphor to "...remove cultural boundaries that are a barrier towards other cultures"

S98: Please make sure to elaborate on this concept of 'Intercultural Education' in relation to 'Multicultural Education.'

S101to107: There is lots of ideas from the literature which you need to flesh out in relation to your research objectives.

S115: Please make sure your in-text referencing is consistent (Guo-Brennan and Guo-Brennan 2019). Include a comma after the authors names and if they share a similar last name please include initials for the first author (assuming the initials are different.

S119: Please remove 'An' at the beginning of the sentence, it is not necessary. It works well with "Extra-curricular intervention is proven to contribute..."

S122: Please change 'develop' to 'facilitate'

S141to154: This paragraph needs reworking, multilingual education is the central concept through you're exploring inclusion or marginalization of migrant students. It should come at the start of the paragraph.

S175-177: Please rephrase this sentence as follows"Among EU countries Lithuania has a low number of registered migrants."

S208-210: Please explain to the reader what you mean by leveling classroom and mobile leveling group.

S212: The word description does not require capitalizing.

S214: Please change to "...foreigners who arrived in 2022."

S236: Please write in full "...lasted approximately thirty minutes."

S244-245: Please change to "The very first theme to emerge was..."

S268: Why is Red Cross in inverted commas?

S269-270: Please rephrase "We would like also to mention that a lot foreigners/immigrants operate within the organization."

S401: Please provide references. about studies of multicultural education that you're alluding to.

S406: I think instead of "...pedagogical staff." change to "...pedagogical approaches."

S416-417: Please provide references for this definition. I am assuming it is from the literature.

S434-437: References???

S446: Probably instead of 'neutral view' change to 'Informed perspective.'

 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

I am really amazed of your willingness to help me. I appreciate it very much. 

I've read the article of you suggested. Thank you. It helped also me to clarify the the terms I do use synonymously. 

I've edited the wording in accordance with Your suggestions: S66/ S46/ S47 and 48 /S55/ S6 / S63 / S74 / S92 and 93 / S119 / S122 / S175-177 / S236/ S244-245 / S268 /  S269-270 / S401/ S406/ S416 and 417 / S434-437 / S446

I would like to say my opinion due to suggestions: S212 - The capatizing is indicating The first word of title of document. I've changed it, now ".." indicates that there is the title of document. 

S 214  - 2022 it was the year the document was issued.

I added more information about the methodology. 

There is one suggestion - I didn't follow (S115: Please make sure your in-text referencing is consistent (Guo-Brennan and Guo-Brennan 2019). Include a comma after the authors names and if they share a similar last name please include initials for the first author (assuming the initials are different). As far as I understood the requirement is not to indicate authors names and put comma.

I really apologize for my English. Now the article is edited. Thus, I hope it becomes more understandable for readers. 

Thankful author

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I believe the authors have appropriately addressed all concerns. I greatly appreciate the time and effort the authors spent expanding on the methodology section as well as improving the flow of the results and discussion. The manuscript is now clear and concise and can greatly contribute to the field.

Author Response

I appreciate Your help very much.

Best Regards,

author

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Sentence 58: should read staff pedagogy or staff pedagogical approaches.

Sentence 72: I am assuming the research question implies “What assistance is needed to develop a multicultural school environment?

Please check inconsistency of using commas during in-text referencing, for example Sentence 92:  (Holm and Zilliacus, 2009) and Sentence 103: (Ashleigh and Gaulter 2020).

Sentence 169: Language is defined as the most important factor excluding new students and fami… Please change defined to ‘considered’.

Sentence 185: (92,5%) had been born in Lithuania, and only 7,69% (221,800) had immigrated. Was this meant to be 92.5% and 7.69%, with a full stop instead of commas?

Sentence 441: . As Medarič et al. noted (2021), the principle of interculturality is challenging to. The word ‘noted’ should come after the year, 2021.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, thank you for the suggestions to improve the article.

Comment 1: Sentence 58: should read staff pedagogy or staff pedagogical approaches.

Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. I agree with this comment. Therefore, the change is made: 55-57:<...>  the principle of interculturality requires both systemic changes and a change in staff pedagogical approaches. 

Comment 2: Sentence 72: I am assuming the research question implies “What assistance is needed to develop a multicultural school environment?

Response 2: Thank you for this suggestion. I agree with this comment. Now the formulation is accordingly: 70:  What assistance is needed to develop a multicultural school environment?

Comment 3: Please check inconsistency of using commas during in-text referencing, for example Sentence 92:  (Holm and Zilliacus, 2009) and Sentence 103: (Ashleigh and Gaulter 2020). 

Response 3: Thank you for pointing this out. I have deleted comma in 92, and checked the other cases to be without comma. 

Comment 4: Sentence 169: Language is defined as the most important factor excluding new students and fami… Please change defined to ‘considered’.

Response 4. Thank you. The change is made. 146: Language is considered as the most important factor <...>

Comment 5. Sentence 185: (92,5%) had been born in Lithuania, and only 7,69% (221,800) had immigrated. Was this meant to be 92.5% and 7.69%, with a full stop instead of commas?

Response 5. Thank you very much for pointing this out. I've changed commas to full stop. 

Comment 6. Sentence 441: . As Medarič et al. noted (2021), the principle of interculturality is challenging to. The word ‘noted’ should come after the year, 2021.

Response 6. Thank you for pointing this out. The change is made. 438: As Medarič et al. (2021) noted, <...>

 

Thinking about the clarity of presenting the results, I made the changes such as:

I added 3 headings to the findings part with accordance to the aims of the article: 

269: Features of creating a multicultural environment

364: Main challenges of creating a multicultural environment

425: Assistance needed to develop a multicultural environment

Themes there are emphasized with bold letters. 

I hope these changed will be helpful in terms of clarity of results presented.

THANK YOU.