Immigrant students in Spain compared to Spanish students: Perceived relationships and academic results

Abstract

Personal relationships are central to adolescent students' lives, not just the relationships in which they themselves are involved but also those that unfold around them. This study considers immigrant and Spanish adolescents' views about the "community dimension of school climate", centered on family-school relationships and school relationships, and how these relate to their academic results. Seven hundred and forty-five (745) students living in Galicia, Spain, participated in the study. Their ages ranged from 12 to 18 years old (M = 14.5, SD = 1.67). Spanish students accounted for 81% of the sample, while 19% were immigrant students. There were statistical differences between Spanish and immigrant students in their perceived family-school relationships, however this did not impact significantly on their academic results. For immigrant students, the sole variable "school relationships" accounted for 20% of their academic results. For Spanish students, this variable together with students' age and parental education accounted for 27% of their marks. Results emphasize the relational impact of the perceived processes going on inside the schools and point at the importance that investing in school relationships might have in students, especially when they are immigrants.