Understanding how children learn multiple languages is essential for creating fair and effective education systems in Europe. European societies are increasingly multilingual, with a growing number of children acquiring more than one language from an early age. Many children use their native language at home, receive education in a different societal language, and acquire additional languages in school. Despite this diversity, educational systems largely rely on monolingual norms when assessing language development and academic performance. These conditions can lead to misunderstandings about multilingual learners’ abilities and result in unequal educational opportunities.
The TomRis project addresses this challenge by investigating how multilingual children process and use an additional language, focusing on children exposed to a home language. TomRis examined how different linguistic systems influence each other during comprehension and production. The project aimed to generate evidence that reflects the real experiences of multilingual learners.
Situated at the intersection of linguistics, psychology, and education, TomRis contributes to the social sciences and humanities by offering insights into online language processing, learning, and variation in multilingual contexts. These insights are directly relevant to European and national priorities, which emphasise inclusion, equal access to education, and recognition of linguistic diversity. Empirically grounded knowledge from TomRis supports equitable assessment practices and educational approaches that reflect the realities of multilingual classrooms. The project contributes to long-term goals in EU and Norwegian language and education policy, including social cohesion, educational equity, and informed decision-making.
