This paper will attempt to visualize adult refugees and migrants, as well as a specific multilingual and multicultural educational setting in Greece. This study aspires to depict/present the plurilingual profiles, language needs, and challenges of L2 Greek students through a variety of tools/methods, e.g., questionnaires, portraits, narratives, needs analysis, and assessment tools. In a complementary way, this research focuses on highlighting the value of language portraits, identity texts, and translanguaging in L2 Greek classrooms. Conditions regarding the educational process in the specific educational setting will also be discussed. This was a case study conducted in an open school for migrants in Greece. Eight volunteer teachers at the school and twenty students participated in this research through a multimethod research design. Multilingual profiles and learners’ needs and goals became visible, and the teachers managed to “hear” the multilingual voices of their students and understand their multilingual profiles. Overall, it is clear that these findings pave the way for large-scale research to investigate in depth everything presented in this research. Using language portraits and identity texts as group activities helps to conduct a productive discussion in the classroom, through which students gain access to the use of concepts such as “multilingualism”, “multiculturalism”, and “diversity”.

European countries—Greece included—recognize the fact that the language of schooling in the host country constitutes the first step for the newcomer children’s reception and integration. Greece, as a dominant receiving country, has adopted a top-level policy for its educational system. Considering the above, this research paper presents and analyzes the assessment tests and practices that educators have access to for evaluating refugee and migrant students’ L2 Greek competence in Greece. A detailed presentation of the Assessment Tools for Refugee and Migrant children in Greece is provided, with a focus on teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward these materials and tools. The appropriateness of the available assessment tools and practices regarding the linguistic and social needs of refugee and migrant children in the Greek context will also be discussed. Findings show that teachers’ perceptions regarding both tests and practices for refugee and migrant students during an initial and formative language assessment vary. It is important to state, though, that the vast majority of the educators feel very sure and comfortable when assessing the linguistic skills of their students.

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of equivalent conceptual metaphors and the correspondent linguistic expressions in refugee students’ L1s and L2s and examine the possible positive effects conceptual metaphors can induce for vocabulary learning and retention in second language learning. Moreover, another aim of the research is to investigate the use of conceptual metaphors as a cross-cultural awareness tool for the case of refugee students and how this may reveal specific aspects of their plurilingual repertoires. The research took place in a non-formal educational center in Kos island, where refugee students attend language courses. The participants of the research were ten refugee students, aged 11–17, who learn English and Greek as L2s. The tools used to collect data were a personal data questionnaire, a metaphor awareness test, a pre-test and post-test before and after the language intervention and a discussion group. The results of the study demonstrate that refugee students are assisted by the existence of equivalent metaphors between their L1 and L2. Furthermore, the use of all languages of the participants promotes cross-cultural awareness and plurilingualism, as similarities not only between languages but also between cultures are found through the existence of equivalent conceptual metaphors.

Migration has almost always been accompanied by language-related processes and concerns. Integration dimensions interact with numerous language-related issues, such as language requirements and learning opportunities, and the purpose of our paper is situated in the broader field of linguistic integration of adult refugees and migrants in Greece and Italy. Greece and Italy share a double role both as host and transition countries, as two of the main EU entry points for refugees and migrants since the 2015 refugee crisis, and therefore they have been selected as two suitable cases to be further explored. This paper aims to give an overview of the language requirements and language-learning opportunities in the migration context in Greece and Italy. Through our comprehensive review of language requirements and language-learning opportunities in Greece and Italy, we have undertaken an examination of the two contexts employing a comparative approach to scrutinize the processes of linguistic integration. The information presented has shown that similar linguistic requirements are set in both countries although the use and implementation of the Knowledge of Society (KoS) tests seem to discriminate between the two contexts. The results agree with similar findings through indexes such as the Language Policy Index for Migrants (LAPIM) and the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX).

Early identification of language and literacy disorders (LLDs) in multilingual children remains a challenge in linguistically diverse educational systems shaped by ongoing migration. In many contexts, including Greece and Cyprus, where LLDs have been poorly investigated, teachers lack screening tools that can reliably distinguish typical multilingual development from possible indicators of LLDs. This study presents the development and preliminary piloting of two teacher-report screening questionnaires for multilingual children aged 4–6 and 6–9 years, designed for use in everyday classroom settings to support early identification and referral. A structured multi-stage procedure guided development. First, items were derived from internationally established clinical markers of multilingual LLDs, covering oral language, phonological awareness, communication, literacy, and related cognitive domains. Second, a scoring framework was created to support consistent, referral-oriented interpretation across languages. Third, the questionnaires were reviewed by specialists in linguistics, education, and speech-language therapy. Fourth, pilot testing with teachers evaluated clarity, feasibility, and classroom relevance. Expert and teacher feedback indicated that the questionnaires are practical and support differentiation between multilinual language differences and potential underlying difficulties. Overall, this study introduces two promising cross-linguistic screening tools for educators in multilingual educational settings, currently undergoing psychometric validation.

Plurilingual competence or repertoire of languages refers to all individuals being potentially plurilingual. As plurilingual competence and language repertoires are individual, assessment modes targeted to the individual and localized to the context should be encouraged. This study explored and depicted the plurilingual profile of Italian Studies students (and thus student language teachers) in the Greek context through various modes. The role of the Italian language in this localized context was also explored and the language trajectory was attempted to be de-picted qualitatively. The instruments used were the Language Passport, the DIALANG diagnostic test, the ECML ‘Self-evaluate your language skills’ tool, a plurilingual portrait (to make the language repertoire visible), and a short personal written narrative. It is mainly a qualitative study, and instances of multi-method research are also present. Moreover, the whole procedure contributed to incorporating plurilingualism and multiculturalism into language teacher education for student Italian language teachers in higher education.