Educating refugee background students has been of great concern to the scientific and educational world in Greece in recent years. This chapter is based on two research studies conducted in 2018 via semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire completed by teachers and refugee students. Both studies explore the ways in which the importance of the host language and the purpose of its teaching are perceived, both by teachers working with refugee children and by refugee students themselves; at the same time, different approaches to addressing challenges in teaching and learning Modern Greek as a second language in a multilingual context are investigated. Several perceptions emerge concerning host language teaching, the relation between home languages and school-language, and the ways that could promote and facilitate refugee students’ integration in schools. Additionally, teachers’ increased intercultural competence and a more positive attitude toward plurilingualism seem to be related to more efficient, participatory, and task-based teaching practices, which enhance the overall school ethos, creating educational settings of belonging, empowerment, and intercultural interaction. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Marina Mattheoudakis and Christina Maligkoudi. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003319306-3

ISBN: 978-104008936-1; 978-103233356-4