Do I belong to this society? The role of positive inter-ethnic climate in class and fairness of teachers

• Social alienation and marginalization among immigrant youth are important risk factors for their adjustment and integration into the host society. Thus, it is very essential to develop a comprehensive understanding on why some immigrant youth feel belong to the host society whereas others do not. One of the indicators of societal belongingness among immigrant youth could be related to the nature of their interpersonal experiences in school with their peers and teachers. Immigrant youth who experience positive inter-ethnic contact in class and treated fairly by their teachers may develop greater feelings of class belonging and social trust, and in turn, they may feel part of the host society. To test these conceptual arguments, we examined (1) whether positive inter-ethnic class climate and fair treatment of teachers are associated with societal belonging, and (2) whether adolescents’ feelings of class belonging and social trust explain these links.The data came from the first wave of an ongoing three-year longitudinal study, the Youth & Diversity Project. The analytical sample included youth with at least one parent born outside of Sweden (N = 423; Mage = 13.19, SD = .51; 44% girls). The results of mediation analysis showed that class belonging significantly mediated the association between positive inter-ethnic class climate and societal belonging, βind=.13, z = 3.85, p < .001, 95% CI: .08, .22. In addition, social trust significantly mediated the link between fair treatment of teachers and societal belonging, βind=.04, z = 1.96, p < .05, 95% CI: .01, .08. Overall, these findings suggest that experiencing positive inter-ethnic relationships in school may help immigrant youth develop connection to their immediate social context, and in turn build feelings of societal belonging. Furthermore, fair treatment of teachers may promote social trust among immigrant youth, and indirectly lead to feeling belong to the larger society.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)