Attitudes to School Teacher and Peers – Mixed Ethnicity Groups Compared to Majority and Minority Student Networks

Abstract

Aims: The general aim of this study was to investigate students’ attitudes to school, teacher and peers in voluntarily-chosen networks with respect to ethnicity and gender.
 Study Design: Self-reports on attitudes were collected from 12-year old students in 77 grade 6 classes in the city of Göteborg, Sweden. Social networks were made up of students who voluntarily and reciprocally chose each other to be with during breaks.
 Place and Duration of Study: Sampling of all data autumn 2003. Work up of sociometric data 2016.
 Methodology: Based on a previous two-level confirmatory factor analysis, three school factors and four relational factors were identified. Social network analysis of the choices was carried out using a Matlab program identifying reciprocal (bilateral) choices. Three categories of network were identified using the names of their members. Mixed ethnicity networks were compared to majority (Scandinavian), and minority networks (Non-Scandinavian). Members outside networks were labelled “Outsiders”.
 Results: One out of five students was classified non-Scandinavian. Non-Scandinavian networks had high scoring for the categories “Interest in School” and “Working Atmosphere”. In Scandinavian networks, girls were more anxious at school and scored relationships to their classmates and the view of their peers significantly lower than the male students. Girls in this category also felt that disruption in the classroom was more common while the boys were, apparently, more tolerant of it. Within Mixed networks, gender differences were exclusively dependent on Non-Scandinavian students’ attitudes. Non-Scandinavian girls in the Mixed networks were surprisingly similar to their female Scandinavian peers. Individuals outside networks were overrepresented among Non-Scandinavians. They showed weaker relationships with classmates, had more problems with peers and were more anxious at school. Furthermore, they considered disruption during lessons to be common.
 Conclusion: Promotion of a mixture of ethnicities appeared best for improving attitudes to school. Immigrant children were overrepresented in the Outsider group, and at risk of rejection.