Project description
Trauma-informed education to support refugee children’s language learning
Children forced to flee their homes to escape war, persecution or other dangers, are expected to adapt fast to their new environment. However, it is not easy for these children to learn the language of their host country despite the fact that this is crucial in the continuation of their education and social integration. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TRAIL-EU project analyses the process of trauma-informed teaching in relation to language learning by refugee children. An advisory group of refugee children and parents, as well as educators and local policymakers will support the research. The goal is to improve educational outcomes for refugee children in multilingual high-risk settings.
Objective
For refugee children, language is not merely a tool for communication—it underpins access to education, social integration, and long-term development. Language acquisition also supports identity formation, emotional regulation, and mental health, all crucial for successful adaptation in a new context. Refugee children, however, face unique challenges in language learning due to interrupted schooling, trauma, and socio-economic instability, highlighting the need for targeted, trauma-informed interventions.
TRAIL-EU addresses these gaps by investigating how trauma-sensitive approaches can enhance the acquisition of the majority language, thereby supporting both academic and socio-emotional development. The project examines the interplay between trauma, cognitive functioning, and language learning outcomes, aiming to develop pedagogical strategies that are both developmentally and contextually responsive.
Using an interdisciplinary framework that combines psychology, education, neurobiology, and epidemiology, TRAIL-EU explores four research objectives: (1) assessing the prevalence of trauma-sensitive teaching practices across three European countries; (2) identifying barriers to their implementation through surveys and interviews with teachers; (3) evaluating the effectiveness of trauma-sensitive strategies for refugee children’s language learning; and (4) synthesizing findings into an evidence-based toolkit of low-cost strategies for teachers.
Employing rigorous epidemiological designs, representative sampling, and longitudinal assessments, the project ensures high-quality, generalizable evidence. An advisory group—including refugee youths, parents, educators, and local policymakers—will guide the research from conception to dissemination, ensuring relevance and impact. The project ultimately seeks to provide actionable, evidence-based recommendations to improve educational outcomes for refugee children in multilingual, high-risk settings.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- social sciences educational sciences didactics
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health epidemiology
- social sciences psychology
- social sciences sociology demography human migrations
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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0484 OSLO
Norway
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.