Effect of ethnic composition of primary schools on academic achievement, cross-ethnic friendships, discrimination and school well-being

• Autor(a) principal: Andrade, Érica Carolina Gonçalves
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/10598
• topic: School ethnic composition; Academic achievement; Cross-ethnic friendships; Discrimination; School well-being; Composição étnica de escolas; Desempenho escolar; Amizades interétnicas; Discriminação; Bem-estar na escola

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of primary schools’ ethnic composition on academic achievement, school well-being, cross-ethnic friendships and discrimination, with the purpose of adding knowledge to this controversial research area in which national research is limited. Participants were students from the 4th grade (M age = 9.82, 49%), White natives (n = 48) and Black immigrants from Portuguese-speaking African countries (n = 54). The school ethnic compositions were of 10% to 30%, 31% to 59% and 60% or more of children from minority groups. Results found that White students performed better in all subjects, but both White and Black students performed worse in Mathematics and Social Environmental studies when in the 60% or more minority condition, in comparison to their peers in the other conditions. When the school ethnic composition was more balanced (31% to 59%) both native and immigrant children have the same number of cross-ethnic friendships. For discriminative behaviours, Black children rated White children more negatively than Black children when in the school ethnic composition of 60% or more. School well-being was higher for White native students than for Black immigrants, regardless of the schools’ ethnic composition. Results were discussed as a potential contribute to the design of public policies of Education for Portuguese primary schools, in order to provide greater equality of opportunities for success and well being between minority and the majority students.