School Ethnic Composition Research Articles

Veilige hechting met ouders, leerkrachten en school, sociale cohesie op school en etnische vooroordelen bij Vlaamse jongeren

As a result of global migration processes, schools in Flanders are now notably ethnically diverse. Taking into consideration the lack of research on determinants of Flemish students’ ethnic prejudice and Bowlby’s attachment theory, we want to examine the role of the individual feeling of attachment and the social cohesion in schools for Flemish students’ degree of ethnic prejudice in secondary education. Moreover, we control for ethnic school composition and pupil characteristics that have been shown to be related to ethnic prejudice. The data used are taken from the Racism and Discrimination in Secondary Schools Research (RaDiSS 2), collected by means of a written questionnaire by 2.058 students and 669 teachers in 40 Flemish secondary schools. The main finding of this study is that the individual feeling of being securely attached is associated with lower levels of ethnic prejudice: Flemish pupils who feel supported by their parents, teachers and school are less ethnic prejudiced. Moreover, social cohesion in a school is related with lower degrees of ethnic prejudice among Flemish students.

Bullying and Victimization Among Young Elementary School Children: The Role of Child Ethnicity and Ethnic School Composition

School-aged children with an ethnic minority background are relatively often involved in bullying and victimization, but the role of ethnic composition of schools in this context remains unclear. This study examined the relation between ethnic minority background, ethnic school composition, and bullying behaviour around primary school entry in the Netherlands. The study was based on a 2008/2009 school survey in Rotterdam, a Dutch city where about 50 % of children have a non-Dutch background. For 8523 children, teacher reports of bullying behaviour at age 5–6 years were available. Children with a non-Dutch background had higher odds of being a victim (adjusted OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.11, 1.80), bully (OR 1.38, 95 % CI 1.20, 1.58) or bully-victim (OR 1.38, 95 % CI 1.19, 1.62) than children of Dutch national origin. Ethnic diversity in schools increased children’s risk of bullying behaviour (e.g. ORvictim per 0.1 increase in 0–1 diversity range = 1.06, 95 % CI 1.00, 1.13), with children of both Dutch and non-Dutch national origin relatively more often involved in bullying in ethnically diverse schools. The proportion of same-ethnic peers in school reduced the risk of bullying among children of Dutch national origin (e.g. ORvictim per 10 % more same-ethnic children = 0.90, 95 % CI 0.83, 0.98), but not among non-Dutch children. In conclusion, ethnic minority background and ethnic diversity within schools are risk factors for bullying among 5–6 year olds. Plausibly, reductions in absolute numbers of bullying events may be obtained with tailor-made interventions in ethnically diverse schools. Such interventions should preferably be offered early in the school curriculum.

The ethnic prejudice of Flemish teachers: The role of ethnic school composition and of teachability.

The aim of this study is to investigate the association between ethnic composition in school and the ethnic prejudice of teachers, controlling for the individual characteristics of teachers and their perceptions of pupils' teachability. Multilevel analyses were carried out on data for 499 Flemish teachers in 44 Flemish (Belgian) secondary schools, collected through an online questionnaire. In this study, ethnic prejudice means a negative attitude to Moroccans, Turks, and Eastern Europeans. A scale was created by taking the mean scores for 18 items, with higher scores indicating greater ethnic prejudice (Quillian, 1995; Witte, 1999). Teachers with long-term higher education or a university diploma are shown to be less ethnically prejudiced than teachers with a lower level of education. Moreover, teachers who work at a school with a greater number of ethnic minority pupils, and at the same time evaluate their pupils as more teachable, are less ethnically prejudiced. These findings highlight the need for more research into the underlying processes, such as pupils' teachability, that influence the relationship between school characteristics and the ethnic prejudice of teachers. More knowledge about the context-specific factors and processes that mediate and/or moderate this relationship can increase the theoretical understanding of the development of ethnic prejudice. It can also highlight particular social characteristics, which can be the focus of social and organizational policy aimed at reducing ethnic prejudices. (PsycINFO Database Record

Ethnic composition of the primary school and educational choice: Does the culture of teacher expectations matter?

The authors investigate whether teachers’ expectations (TE) at the school-level mediate the relationship between ethnic school composition and educational choice at the transition from primary to secondary education in Flanders. The link between TE and pupils’ educational choices is explored without neglecting school-level variables. Hierarchical logistic models were tested using data of May 2015. Results show that pupils’ educational choices are more ambitious at ethnically diverse schools. These ambitions are tempered by TE at the school-level, which are lower in these schools. The importance of TE for the educational progress of students in the increasingly diverse Flemish landscape is demonstrated.

School ethnic composition and bullying in Canadian schools

Bullying in ethnically diverse schools varies as a function of the ethnic composition and degree of diversity in schools. Although Canada is highly multicultural, few researchers have focused on the role of context on ethnic majority and minority youths’ bullying involvement. In the present study, 11,649 European-Canadian/ethnic majority (77%) and non-European Canadian/ethnic minority (23%) students in Grade 4 to Grade 12 completed an online Safe Schools Survey on general, physical, verbal, social, and cyber bullying. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) analyses indicated significant interactions between the proportion of non-European Canadian children in a school (Level 2) and individual ethnicity (Level 1) across most types of bullying victimization. Non-European Canadian students experienced less peer victimization in schools with higher proportions of non-European Canadian students, but ethnic composition was not related to European Canadian students’ peer victimization. No differences in bullying perpetration were found as a function of school ethnic composition across groups. Our findings suggest that ethnic composition in Canadian schools may not be strongly associated with bullying perpetration and that a higher representation of other ethnic minority peers may act as a buffer against peer victimization.

The growth of mathematics and reading skills in segregated and diverse schools: An opportunity-propensity analysis of a national database

The goal of the present study was to continue to build and refine the Opportunity-Propensity (O-P) model of achievement by using it to explain well-known achievement disparities between schools that differ in terms of their racial and ethnic composition. The O-P model categorizes predictors into antecedent factors (e.g., family SES, parent educational aspirations), opportunity factors (e.g., content coverage and teaching style), and propensity factors (e.g., prior knowledge and motivation). To refine the model further, the authors did the following: (a) added predictors in each category that have not been examined to date; (b) used hierarchical linear modeling to explain growth in knowledge between two assessment points; (c) identified similarities and differences in the models for two content areas (i.e., math and reading); and (d) identified similarities and differences in the models for two age levels (i.e., 3rd grade and 8th grade). Results showed that the combination of new and established predictors accounted for approximately 50% of the variance in the rate at which knowledge grew in both math and reading at both age levels. In addition, the variance explained by the racial and ethnic composition of schools when this variable was entered as the sole predictor of achievement was substantially reduced after antecedent, opportunity, and propensity factors were entered in subsequent models. However, the coefficients for certain school compositions remained significant even after such controls, and the models differed somewhat between content areas (math and reading), and age levels (3rd and 8th grade). Findings are discussed in terms of the implications of these results for building and refining the O-P model further.

The role of ethnic school segregation for adolescents’ religious salience

Public concerns over the possible effects of school segregation on immigrant and ethnic majority religiosity have been on the rise over the last few years. In this paper we focus on (1) the association between ethnic school composition and religious salience, (2) intergenerational differences in religious salience and (3) the role of ethnic school composition for intergenerational differences in religious salience. We perform analyses on religious salience, one five-point Likert scale item measuring religious salience among 3,612 16-year-old pupils in Belgian secondary schools. National origin was used as a proxy for ethnicity. Ethnic minority pupils in schools with a higher share of ethnic minorities tend to be more religious. This relation holds for Muslim as well as other religious and ethnic minorities. Ethnic school composition also moderates the relationship between migrant generation and religious salience: second generation migrants tend to be more religious in ethnic minority dominated schools. For ethnic Belgians the association is moderated by their religious affiliation: Catholics tend to be more religious, while non-affiliated ethnic Belgians are less religious in schools with a higher share of ethnic minority pupils.

The ethnic composition of schools and students’ problem behaviour in four European countries: the role of friends

ABSTRACTThis study examines the relation between the proportion of co-ethnics in school and adolescents’ problem behaviour in school (e.g. skipping class and arguing with teachers) and whether friendship patterns are underlying this relationship. We use data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries on ±16,000 students in England, Germany, The Netherlands, and Sweden and find that children display less problem behaviour when the proportion of co-ethnics in school is higher. This relationship is mediated by the characteristics of the friends that students have: the proportion of co-ethnics in school positively relates to students’ proportion of in-school friends and co-ethnic friends in class, which are in turn negatively associated with problem behaviour in school. The strength and significance of these paths depend on students’ ethnicity and country of residence. Implications of this study are discussed in the conclusion.

Association between ethnic minority status at school and bullying and mental health outcomes in early adolescence: cross-sectional analysis of data from the INCLUSIVE study

BackgroundEthnic composition of schools has been the focus of extensive policy interest in the USA and the Netherlands. In the USA, a lower proportion of students of a child's own race or ethnicity at school has been associated with a higher likelihood of bullying and poor mental health outcomes. We investigated whether this association was present in a large study of English schools. MethodsData come from INCLUSIVE (ISRCTN10751359), an ongoing study in 40 secondary schools in South East England (recruited in 2014–15) that aims to assess a programme to reduce bullying among students. We assessed bullying victimisation within the past 3 months (gatehouse bullying Scale [GBS]); prevalence of bullying perpetration through mobile phones or the internet within the past 3 months (cyberbullying perpetration [CP]); and the extent of behavioural, emotional, and peer problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ] score). We stratified students by ethnicity and used multilevel regression models to analyse whether a low proportion of same-ethnicity students within a school was associated with poor outcomes. All models were adjusted for age, sex, family affluence, lone-parent status, and school-level factors (size, single-sex or mixed, type of school, deprivation, rating by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, and value added). This study was approved by the University College London Ethics Committee and the Institute of Education Ethics Committee. FindingsFor our analysis we included students as categorised by the Office for National Statistics: 2612 White British (WB) students, 1645 Asian/British Asian (ABA) students, and 919 Black/Black British (BBB) students aged 11–12 years. ABA pupils reported significantly fewer behavioural, emotional, and peer problems (raw SDQ score 10·09) than did WB (11·20) and BBB (11·32) students. BBB students were significantly more likely than WB and ABA students to report cyberbullying perpetration (11% [99/888], 8% [200/2577], and 7% [120/1623], respectively) (p<0·05 for all models). There were no significant differences in GBS scores by ethnic group. WB children who attended schools where fewer than 25% of pupils were WB reported higher prevalence of bullying and worse mental health outcomes than those attending schools with more than 25% WB children (GBS odds ratio [OR] 1·77, 95% CI 1·12–2·80; CP OR 3·10, 1·30–7·41; SDQ β=1·60, 0·38–2·82). Equivalent analyses among ABA and BBB groups showed no significant association between same-ethnicity proportion of pupils at their school and any outcome (p>0·05 for all models). InterpretationThese findings suggest that an association between the ethnic composition of schools and adolescent bullying and mental health outcomes might be under-recognised, particularly among white British students. This information could help guide more effective targeting of interventions to address bullying and mental health problems in schools. FundingNone.

How does ethnic and non-ethnic victimization by peers and by teachers relate to the school belongingness of ethnic minority students in Flanders, Belgium? An explorative study

School belongingness has proven its positive effect on a wide range of outcomes that lead to school success. However, the factors that influence school belongingness received little research attention. Hence, the goal of this study is to explore the impact of ethnic victimization on ethnic minority students’ school belongingness. Hereto, we examine the relative impact of ethnic and non-ethnic victimization, since ethnic minority students belong to a stigmatized social category, which creates unique stressors such as ethnic victimization, but does not spare them from the general stressors that exist in life. Moreover, we approach victimization from a social-ecological perspective. First, by focusing on both victimization by peers and victimization by teachers and second, by taking the ethnic school composition into account. A multilevel analysis on a largescale dataset (N = 1160 ethnic minority students, 54 schools) collected in the third year of secondary education in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) shows that victimization had a negative influence on ethnic minority students’ sense of school belonging. Furthermore, the experience of ethnic victimization was more detrimental for ethnic minority students’ sense of school belonging than the experience of other forms of victimization. Thirdly, it did not matter for ethnic minority students’ sense of school belonging if they felt victimized by teachers or by peers. Finally, when experiencing ethnic teacher victimization in a school with fewer ethnic minority students, this was more negative for ethnic minority students’ sense of school belonging than in a school with more ethnic minority students.

An Accident of Geography? Assessing the Gerrymandering of School Attendance Zones

Context Despite the recent emphasis on public school choice, more than four-fifths of public school students still attend the traditional school to which they are assigned (NCES CCD, 2013), making attendance zone boundaries critical and fercely contested determinants of educational opportunity. Historical and anecdotal evidence suggests that attendance zone boundaries are not “accidents of geography,” but have been “gerrymandered” into irregular shapes in ways that alter patterns of student attendance. However, no empirical evidence has directly examined the issue of attendance zone gerrymandering. Purpose of Study Drawing on the literature on electoral gerrymandering, we outline a framework for conceptualizing and measuring educational gerrymandering. Using geospatial techniques, we then provide initial empirical evidence on the gerrymandering of school attendance zones and the variation in gerrymandering across geographic and demographic contexts. Research Design We analyze the boundaries of a large national sample of 23,945 school attendance zones obtained from the School Attendance Boundary Information System (SABINS). For each attendance zone, we compute complementary measures assessing two dimensions of gerrymandering: (1) dispersion, or the elongation of the area of a boundary; and (2) indentation, or the irregularity of the perimeter of a boundary. Results Overall, we find that attendance zones are highly gerrymandered—nearly as much as legislative districts—and are becoming more gerrymandered over time. Findings underscore the racial and, to a lesser extent, socioeconomic character of gerrymandering, which is particularly acute in Whiter and more affluent schools and in areas experiencing rapid racial change. Conclusions The gerrymandering of school attendance zones has significant implications for students and schools. Gerrymandering alters patterns of attendance and, thereby, student access to educational opportunity and resources, by “zoning out” certain students living closer to schools while “zoning in” others living farther away. Gerrymandered boundaries also hold the potential to significantly alter the racial and ethnic composition of schools and may serve as a mechanism of segregation. In addition, gerrymandered attendance zones are inherently inefficient and may impose additional transportation costs on students and districts. We conclude with implications for state and federal policy.

Are English free schools socially selective? A quantitative analysis

Supporters and critics of free schools in England have had differing expectations about whether free schools would emerge in socially disadvantaged areas, and whether they would become socially selective. We investigate the outcomes, using information from the first three years since the introduction of the first new schools in 2011, drawn from the National Pupil Database. We find that, as policy proposers had expected, free schools have been situated in neighbourhoods that are somewhat above average in terms of the proportions entitled to free school meals, a well‐known indicator of social disadvantage. Nevertheless, we also find that the free schools are socially selective within their neighbourhoods. These two effects balance out so that, overall, compared with the average for all England, there are no great differences between the social composition of secondary free schools and that of the national average. However, at primary school level there is evidence that free schools are enrolling children with above average ability. Moreover, there are very substantive differences between the ethnic composition of free schools and other schools. Despite these differences, we find little evidence that the presence of free schools is having an effect on the social composition of intakes to other schools in their neighbourhoods or on segregation in the local authority as a whole. We suggest this may be because there are still too few free schools, with very small cohort sizes, recruiting from very dispersed areas.

Ecodevelopmental predictors of early initiation of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among Hispanic adolescents

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to test the transactional relationships of risk and protective factors that influence initiation of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among Hispanic youth. Ecodevelopmental theory was used to identify factors at multiple ecological levels with a focus on four school-level characteristics (i.e. school socioeconomic status, school climate, school acculturation, and school ethnic composition). A sample of 741 Hispanic adolescents (M age=13.9, SD=.67) and their caregivers were recruited from 18 participating middle schools in Miami-Dade County, FL. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized ecodevelopmental model of early substance use, accounting for school clustering effects. Results provided strong support for the model (CFI=.95; RMSEA=.03). School SES was indirectly related to the likelihood of starting substance use through perceived peer use norms (β=.03, p<.02). Similarly, school climate had an indirect effect on substance use initiation through family functioning and perceptions of peer use norms (β=−.03, p<.01). Neither school ethnic composition nor school acculturation had indirect effects on initiation of substance use. Results highlight the importance of the interplay of risk and protective factors at multiple ecological levels that impact early substance use initiation. Further, findings underscore the key role of school level characteristics on the initiation of substance use and present opportunities for intervention.

How tracking structures attitudes towards ethnic out-groups and interethnic interactions in the classroom: an ethnographic study in Belgium

The influence of the ethnic composition of schools on interethnic relations and attitudes has been studied extensively and has received ample interest from policy makers. However, less attention has been paid to the structures and processes inside schools that organize interethnic relations and attitudes. In Flanders (Belgium), sec- ondary education is organized by grouping students in different tracks, which are hierarchically ordered and prepare students for different futures. Tracking in Flanders isintendedtogroupstudentsaccordingtotheirabilitiesbuttogetherwiththis,students are grouped according to their ethnic and socioeconomic background. In the present study, the interethnic relations and attitudes in each track will be explored, based on ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews in three multi-ethnic sec- ondary schools in one city. Our findings suggest that different patterns occur across three groups of tracks: the most appreciatedfields of study in academic, the intermedi- ary (less appreciated fields of study in academic and technical tracks) and vocational tracks. According to the relative sizes of ethnic groups and track specific charac- teristics, interethnic relations were characterized respectively by ethnic segregation, positive experiences of interethnic contact or ethnicconflict/tensions. Theethnic com-

Pubertal timing of Latinas and school connectedness during the transition to middle school.

During the middle school transition, adolescents are often faced with physical and school contextual changes that may impact how they perceive that first transitional year. The present study examined how pubertal timing (onset of menarche) was associated with Latinas' school connectedness during the first year in middle school and whether that relationship was moderated by perceived school ethnic composition and body mass index (BMI) (i.e., a reliable indicator of body fat calculated from participants' age, height, and weight). Sixth-grade Latinas (N = 609) at the beginning and end of the first year of middle school indicated whether menarche had begun. From this question, girls were classified as early maturers (started menarche before 6th grade), changers (started during 6th grade) or later maturers (had not started by the end of 6th grade). Changers who attended schools where they perceived fewer same-ethnic peers and they deviated from the Latina BMI mean of that school in the direction of lower BMI (i.e., toward being underweight), reported more school connectedness than early and later-maturing Latinas. These findings underscored the importance of finding one's niche and fitting in for girls who are maturing during a period of both rapid physical change and a school transition.

School-based social capital: The missing link between schools' socioeconomic composition and collective teacher efficacy

This study investigates whether the established association between school socioeconomic composition and collective teacher efficacy (CTE) is possibly mediated by teacher staffs' perceptions of school-based social capital. For this purpose, data from 183 primary schools in Flanders (Belgium) gathered between 2006 and 2008 are examined by means of multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM). The findings indicate that the relationship between school socioeconomic composition and CTE can indeed be explained by the level of school-based social capital as perceived by the teacher staff, even when school prior achievement, school ethnic composition, and school size are controlled.

Social–ethnic school composition and disengagement: An inquiry into the perceived control explanation

In many Western countries, increasing levels of immigration have raised concerns over the outcomes of social–ethnic segregation in schools. This study relates social–ethnic school composition to students’ behavioral, emotional, and cognitive disengagement. While previous research mostly remains atheoretical, this current study investigates the applicability of the perceived control explanation, with the expectation that attending low socioeconomic status (SES) schools and schools with a higher proportion of ethnic minority pupils lowers students’ perceived control and hence produces disengagement. Multilevel analyses on data from the Flemish Educational Assessment, consisting of 11,759 students in 83 Flemish secondary schools, show that students in lower SES schools are more likely to disengage behaviorally and emotionally from school. This association is, as expected, mediated by feelings of perceived control. Higher ethnic minority concentration, however, yields lower disengagement, especially for ethnic minority students. The implications are discussed.

The relationship between ethnic diversity and classroom disruption in the context of migration policies

This paper studies the relationship between ethnic school composition and classroom disruption in secondary education in the context of migration policies. We measured classroom disruption using students’ reports from 3533 schools in 20 countries provided by cross-national PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2009 data. We employ the migrant share and the ethnic diversity net of the native share as indicators of the ethnic composition of a school. The MIPEX (Immigrant Integration Policy indEX) is used as an indicator of migration policies. Our results show a positive association between ethnic school diversity net of the migrant share and classroom disruption. Furthermore, we show a negative interaction term of the migration policy and ethnic diversity. Consequently, our results indicate that students in countries with a more inclusive migration policy are at least less harmed by influence of ethnic school diversity regarding classroom disruption. Findings partly support the “contact hypothesis” and reject the “threat hypothesis” in an educational context.

Enfants et adolescents venus d’ailleurs: la violence vécue dans leur société d’accueil et les effets sur leur santé, une recension des écrits

OBJECTIVE: This integrative literature review aims to present a comprehensive portrayal of social violence experienced by first-generation immigrant children and adolescents, and its effects on their health and well-being.METHOD: A French and English languages literature search was conducted in eight databases, without restrictions on dates of publication. Thirty studies were selected. Results were summarized according to three aspects: 1) types of violence experienced by young immigrants; 2) conditions under which this violence occurs; 3) effects of such violence on the health and well-being of young immigrants.SYNTHESIS: Immigrant children and adolescents can experience various forms of physical, verbal, and relational violence. This violence seems to be mostly instigated by their peers and it has mainly been studied in terms of discrimination. Victimization may vary depending on factors such as ethnic composition of schools or time of residence in the host society. Violence may have many effects on mental health of immigrant youth: it is associated with both increased psychopathological symptoms and poorer mental health. Finally, the experience of violence is related to a more negative attitude of young immigrants toward their host society and a more positive attitude toward their own cultural community.CONCLUSION: In addition to its having numerous adverse effects on their mental and social health and well-being, violence may prove to be a key factor in the experience of marginalization of immigrant youth. We propose certain research avenues to explore.

School ethnic diversity and students' interethnic relations

School ethnic desegregation has been a topic of strong societal and educational concern. Research has examined the effects of ethnic school composition on students' interethnic relations with diverging outcomes and sometimes inconsistent results. In this review paper, we provide an assessment of this literature to explain why and when school desegregation might improve or worsen ethnic relations and to identify important future research directions. We discuss different theoretical perspectives predicting positive versus negative aspects of school ethnic diversity: intergroup contact theory and the perspectives of group threat and power differences. Subsequently, we consider a number of school and educational characteristics that can moderate the impact of ethnic diversity on students' interethnic relations and that could be considered in future research. Furthermore, we discuss the need for studying underlying psychological and social processes as well as the importance of investigating interethnic relations in combination with academic adjustment. School ethnic diversity is not enough to promote interethnic tolerance. It is important to examine diversity in relation to other aspects of the school environment that may influence how students respond to the ethnic diversity within school. Important factors to consider are the presence of multicultural education and inclusive school identities, student-teacher relationships, and peer norms and networks, but also the role of parents and of peer relations outside the school context.