A research review sheds light on the use of language based support to reducing the gaps between native students and students with an immigrant or ethnic minority background.

ISOTIS project research conducted an inventory of promising interventions in early childhood settings attended by immigrant, Roma, and low-income children. It gathered actions taken in the Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal.

Results show that “while 79% of the interventions provided some type of language support, only 32% considered children’s heritage language, even though 72% of the interventions targeted either immigrant, Roma, or mixed groups of children.”

As stated in the study’s executive summary, language support has a significant role in reducing the gaps between native students and students with an immigrant or ethnic minority background.

According to the review, these type of interventions could be developed considerably.

Read more about this study on the ISOTIS website.