Tallinna

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MULTICULTURAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN TALLINN
HEALTH CARE COLLEGE Ene Kotkas MA, Õilme Siimer
MA, Aet Taremaa
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INTRODUCTION

• In todays Estonia, multicultural society has
  become an actual topic not only in the social but
  in the educational level as well.
• Students have to know the state language well to
  manage with their study in higher educational
  institutions.

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OBJECTIVE

• To give a survey of how non-Estonians integrate
  into the Estonian learning environment in Tallinn
  Health Care College and what contributes to the
  process.

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SOURCES

• Results of the interviews (lecturers and
  non-Estonian students were interviewed).
• Measures taken by the college to integrate
  non-Estonian students into the Estonian learning
  environment (support systems, complementary
  learning of Estonian).
• Database, documents, and investigations performed
  in the college.

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PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVIEWS

• 25 non-Estonian students of Tallinn Health Care
  College
• First-year students 11
• (including 2 from a mixed group)
• Second-year student 1
• Third-year students 11
• (including 4 from a mixed group)
• Graduates 2

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PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVIEWS

• 14 lecturers
• Lecturers deliveringlectures on the speciality 9
• Lecturers of the intensiveclasses of Estonian 3
• Lecturers of the Estonianlanguage 2

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METHODS

• Analysis of the structured interview and
  observation data.
• Unstructured interview.
• The interviews have been structured by the
  topics related to each other.
• Fields of the topics mother tongue, ethnic
  background, attitude to cultural differences,
  learning motivation, self-esteem and coping,
  relationships with Estonian fellow students,
  proposals for better integration.
• Lecturers have been interviewed to know their
  opinions of the integration process.

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ASSESSMENTS GIVEN BY NON-ESTONIAN STUDENTS

• Sociocultural integration
• All the students place a high value on their
• family culture and the Russian language.
• All the students friends and connections
• are Russian-speaking people and the
• Estonian language is spoken only in the
• college, at work, or when having practical
• training.

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ASSESSMENTS GIVEN BY NON-ESTONIAN STUDENTS

• Sociocultural integration
• Two students find that learning Estonian
• can lead to disappearance of the Russian
• language and culture in Estonia.
• All the students find English and half of
• them find French and Spanish to be very
• useful languages besides Russian.

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ASSESSMENTS GIVEN BY NON-ESTONIAN STUDENTS

• Five students find that the Estonian language and
  culture are very important for them.
• Six students find it to be important to
• have relationships with Estonian students
• in the college.

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INTEGRATION INTO THE ESTONIAN LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

• The students have been encouraged by the
  lecturers.
• Difficulties in understanding of the lectures
  depressed them.
• Teaching methods of the state language lecturers
  are very good.
• Estonians keep close to each other and
• non-Estonians feel guilty for the past
  events.

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INTEGRATION INTO THE ESTONIANLEARNING
ENVIRONMENT

• This led to the low self-esteem and difficulties
  in coping.
• To feel better and attain success
• in Estonia, three students have taken Estonian
  family names.
• The goal and will help them to cope
• with difficulties.

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INTEGRATION INTO THE ESTONIANLEARNING ENVIRONMENT

• The students feel the support of the whole
• college.
• The students are interested in finding a job in
  Estonia.

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LECTURERS OPINIONS

• Different level of Estonian slows the
• integration and learning process.
• Integration is going better in the mixed
• groups.
• Pair and group work are the methods to improve
  communication skills in Estonian.
• Integration depends on the personal
  characteristics.

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LECTURERS OPINIONS

• Integration of the non-Estonian students into the
  college is different and takes place step by
  step.

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THE INTEGRATION IS BEING SUPPORTED BY THE
COLLEGE

• Intensive classes of the state language.
• Learning aid by the student counsellors
• (as tutors).
• Psychological counselling (lecturers of
• psychology).

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INTENSIVE CLASSES OF THE STATELANGUAGE

• Tallinn Health Care College started teaching the
  state language within the frames of the intensive
  classes in 2002.
• First-year nursing students who have finished a
  Russian gymnasium in Estonia
• can have a deepened course of Estonian for a
  half of academic year in Tallinn.

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INTENSIVE CLASSES OF THE STATE LANGUAGE

• Since the year 2006, the first-year nursing
  students have had the deepened Estonian course in
  Kohtla-Järve where they are learning
  complimentary Estonian during an academic year.

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INTENSIVE CLASSES OF THE STATE LANGUAGE

• Today, in the Chair of Nursing there are
• four groups ( 150 students) of the intensive
  classes three in Tallinn and one in Kohtla-Järve.

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INTENSIVE CLASSES OF THE STATELANGUAGE

• Next year, the intensive classes of the state
  language not only for the first-year nursing
  students but for the first-year students of other
  specialities as well will be opened in the
  college.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING

• Two lecturers of psychology in Tallinn and one
  lecturer of psychology in Kohtla-Järve give
  counselling to the non-Estonian students.
• They help solving psychological problems related
  to the integration (relationships, identity
  crisis, coping with adjustment and learning
  difficulties).

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PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING

• They direct the students to health care
  professionals (psychiatrists, psychotherapists)
  if necessary.

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LEARNING AID BY THE STUDENT COUNSELLORS

• In 2006, the tutor training for students who
  would deal with students from abroad was started
  in Tallinn Health Care College.
• In 2010, the tutor training for students who
  would deal with the first-year students of
  Tallinn Health Care College was started.
• 26 students passed the training.

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LEARNING AID BY THE STUDENT COUNSELLORS

• General e-mail address was created enabling
  students to contact with the tutors in different
  chairs and write in different languages
  (Estonian,Russian, and English)
• tuutorappi_at_gmail.com

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THE AIM OF THE TUTORING

• To support the progress of the different target
  groups in the college to enhance the students
  integration into the learning environment, to
  improve their cultural integration and the
  Estonian language skills, and to develop
  corresponding support service.

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THE AIM OF THE TUTORING

• To give a chance to be counselled and informed by
  the fellow students and get an advice to solve
  the problems related to the progress in the
  college.

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THE TUTORS FIELDS

• The tutors deal with the first-year students
  mostly to help them to adjust to the college
  life, develop learning skills, and apply for a
  student loan and scholarship.
• They advise the students having problems, and
  inform them about students responsibilities and
  rights.
• Since 2010, the main attention has been paid to
  the non-Estonian students.

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A STUDENT HAVING PASSED THE TUTOR TRAINING ...

• has a survey of the most significant documents
  related to the study (curricula, timetable...)
• is aware of the students rights and
  responsibilities
• knows the structure and support systems of
  Tallinn Health Care College, and where to seek
  help when it is needed

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A STUDENT HAVING PASSED THE TUTOR TRAINING...

• understands the role of a tutor and can support
  the first-year students in their adjustment.

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RESULTS

• Tutoring is very popular with the first-year
  students in Tallinn Health Care College
• The students value the kind of tutoring they say
  it to be very comfortable to be counselled by the
  fellow students.

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TUTORING IN OTHER HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

• Necessity of the tutoring system has already been
  proved in the other educational institutions.
  Support students are needed to help students in
  their study.
• Thanks to the support students, the number of the
  students interrupting their study in the higher
  educational institution has been reduced.

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FUTURE PLANS

• To improve the tutoring system by the functions
  of the support students (giving learning aid).

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RESULTS

• The administration and lecturers of Tallinn
  Health Care College have found the ways for
  non-Estonian students to integrate into the
  college life and Estonian
• society.
• In the lecturers opinion, the integration and
  coping with learning in Estonian depends on the
  non-Estonians motivation and attitude.

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RESULTS

• Non-Estonian students belong to the certain
  (Russian ) group, and they do not communicate
  with Estonians much.
• Intensive classes of Estonian help them to start
  learning special subjects in Estonian.
• Student tutors support the non-Estonian students
  in their study and give advice when it is needed.

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CONCLUSION

• Integration into the Estonian learning
  environment is proceeding through the
• learning process (lectures, independent work,
  course papers) mostly.
• Non-Estonian students do not think it to be
  important to communicate with Estonian students.
• The integration is supported by the intensive
  classes of Estonian, psychological counselling,
• and learning aid.
• Estonian as the state language is considered as
  an important language by non-Estonian students to
  learn and work in Estonia.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• To offer an optional subject on the cultural
  differences to the students.
• To enhance the support system for the
  non-Estonian students.

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• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!