Eastern European migrant students in English schools: educational identities and inequalities

Author(s):

Antonina Tereshchenko(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

07. Social Justice and Intercultural Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

07 SES 01 B, Students’ Perspectives on Success and Inequality

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-02

13:15-14:45

Room:

B005 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Francesca Gobbo

Contribution

This research project has a European focus and is concerned with social issues and educational policies relevant for EU member states in the context of East-West migration in Europe after the EU expansion. Despite the growing literature in the UK in the area of migration motivations and strategies, work, life beyond work, social networks and local settlement of Eastern European (EE) migrants (Burrell, 2010), research has only started considering the identities and education of children of these migrants in the UK. In particular, there is a lack of critical sociological analysis of the social structures and processes that affect the learning and social development of this relatively new group of minority ethnic students. The theorisation of relationship between social identities, educational achievement and inequality provides a framework for the research study reported in this paper (Francis and Wong, 2013; Reay, 2009; Gillborn, 2008; Archer and Francis, 2007; Heath and Brinbaum, 2007). The study seeks to explore the educational identities and experiences of schooling among first generation EE migrant students. It pays attention to how EE students’ identities and educational achievement are shaped by their ethnic origin, gender and social class. The role of teachers and parents in relation to EE students’ achievement, experiences of education and aspirations are considered as a contributing/impeding factor to young people’s educational success.

Method

This qualitative study was conducted in two state secondary schools in London with significant intake of EE students, and in two schools in the East of England; both areas are known as popular with migrants from countries which joined the EU in 2004/2007 (McCollum & Findlay, 2011). These countries share an Eastern bloc history and various common features to their educational systems and practices (including an emphasis on maths, ‘traditional’ teaching methods, uniform curriculum, etc). Across the schools, 64 students aged 13-18 and born in different countries (including Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, Slovakia) took part in 16 same-sex discussion groups (3-5 participants each). Semi-structured individual interviews were also conducted with 35 students (some of which did and others did not take part in discussion groups), 20 parents, and 22 teachers. The majority of participating students came from ‘working class’ families, in which parents did not hold higher education degrees and were doing what could roughly be classified as manual work. This is in line with available data that characterize EE migrants as concentrated in low skilled, labour intensive jobs (Sumption and Somerville, 2010; Ciupijus, 2011). Discussion groups with students explored how they think EE migrants are perceived in England and in their school socially and educationally. Individual student interviews focused on their school experiences in England and abroad, academic progress/achievement, learning approaches, aspirations and values, perceived obstacles and inequalities. The teacher interviews explored their perceptions of EE students as learners, of their educational experiences, their achievements, aspirations and values of EE students and parents. Parents were asked about their children’s experiences of schools in England and countries of origin, their values and opinions of education in England and countries of origin, and their aspirations for their children’s post-compulsory education and occupations, as well as perceived obstacles to achieving these.

Expected Outcomes

The paper presents the perceptions and experiences of education among a diverse group of Eastern European students and parents. In particular, it analyses how participants construct the value of education and give explanation for their (and their children’s) educational aspirations and future occupations as well as barriers for achieving those, how they view themselves (and their ethnic group) as learners, and whether gender and class interlink with the perspectives of students. Exploring the issue of identities and differences with EE migrant students does not only add to the research on how individual experiences and social identities affect education and its outcomes but also enhances the conceptualisations of ‘race’/ethnicity and achievement in educational research. The paper shows how, despite the assumption about the advantage of ‘whiteness’ (Sumption and Somerville, 2010) and the general denial of racism in schools, EE students can face various barriers to success and social mobility in England, including the impact of official anti-immigration discourses, subtle cultural racism in the wider society, lower expectations by teachers, EAL status, etc.

References

Archer, L. and Francis, B. 2007. Understanding minority ethnic achievement: the role of race, class, gender and ‘success’. London: Routledge. Burrell, K. 2010. Staying, Returning, Working and Living: Key Themes in Current Academic Research Undertaken in the UK on Migration Movements from Eastern Europe. Social Identities, 16 (3), 297-308. Ciupijus, Z. 2011. Mobile Central Eastern Europeans in Britain: successful European Union citizens and disadvantaged labour migrants? Work, Employment and Society, 25(3), 540-50. Francis, B. and Wong, B. 2013. What is preventing social mobility? A review of the evidence. Leicester: ASCL. Gillborn, D. 2008. Racism and education: coincidence or conspiracy? London: Routledge. Heath, A. and Brinbaum, Y. 2007. Guest editorial. ‘Explaining Ethnic Inequalities in Educational Achievement’, Ethnicities, 7(3), 291-305. McCollum, D., and A. Findlay. 2011. Trends in A8 migration to the UK during the Recession. Population Trends, 145, 77–89. Reay, D. 2009. Making sense of white working class educational underachievement, in Sveinsson, K. P. (Ed.) Who Cares about the White Working Class? London: The Runnymede Trust. Sumption, M. and Somerville, W. 2010. The UK’s new Europeans: progress and challenge five years after accession. London: Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Author Information

Antonina Tereshchenko (presenting / submitting)

King's College London, United Kingdom

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