Failed grades, schools, families and neighborhoods: Swedish immigrant pupils’ reflections on their reality.

Author(s):

Getahun Yacob Abraham(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

07. Social Justice and Intercultural Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

07 SES 01 B, Children and Youth Voices on Inclusion and (In)justice

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-22

13:15-14:45

Room:

W3.17

Chair:

Francesca Gobbo

Contribution

In the Swedish school system students with immigrant background are over-represented among those who finish compulsory school with non-passing grades (Skolverket, 2004). While the problem is significant, there are limited studies conducted in this area (Bunar, 2010). Different explanations are given for the failures such as individual weakness, parents' low education, unemployment, lack of social and economic capitals. There are also claims that structural problems could be the main cause. Studies undertaken in Sweden and USA show the repercussion of schools and residential areas on student results (Bunar, 2011; Nieuwenhuis, & Hooimelier,2016). There are also studies which show that parents´ education and access to different social capital can influence their children’s success in education (Bergren, 2013; Behotoui & Neegaard, 2015).

I interviewed students in one vocational high school in a big city in western Sweden. The interviewed students have immigrant background and have attended Swedish compulsory schools. These students have failed in one or more subjects at the end of their compulsory school (ninth grade).

The objectives of the study were to find out how these students are reasoning about their failure and on how they viewed their school, family and residential situation. The findings from the study could contribute to general knowledge on how these students perceive their results, schooling, family situation and residential areas. Those who are working to improve pupils' achievements and schools´ inclusion of immigrant students could gain from the study.

Research Question

What school, family and community related issues are given by pupils as contributing factors for their failing grades in school?

Even if the focus is on their grades and school situation, to understand the reality of the students, there is a need to find out about the holistic situation of each interviewed student. To achieve this goal the Post-Ecological perspective will be considered (Anderson, et.al, 2004; Hamilton & Moore, 2004; Rutter, 2006; Nilson & Bunar, 2015) as theoretical framework. Post-Ecological perspective will give the opportunity to look closer into the child/pupil’s relation to its classmates, teachers, family members and neighbourhood.

In addition to Post-Ecological perspective, Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and reproduction will be used. As some of these pupils have been in Sweden and in Swedish schools for a short time, they lack the linguistic capital (Bourdieu, 1991) for success. It is also possible that those who were born in Sweden as well as those who arrived later could lack the valuable and necessary cultural and social capital, which could lead to reproduction of existing inequality in the societal structure (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990).

Method

Method The study used interviews as a main method (Kvale, 1996; Bryman; 2004; Loseke, 2013) and supplemented it with literature review. I interviewed 21 students, three of them have been dropped out from the study, two of them worked as student assistants in the school during the interview and the third one declared at the end of the interview she had passed in all subjects at the end of the compulsory school. The remaining 18 interviewed students had failed in one or more subjects at the end of their compulsory education. The students were informed about the purpose of the study and their consent to participate was gained. Information to them included how the collected data will be used, that the students will be anonymous in the study and their right to withdraw from the study at any time (Vetenskapsrådet, 2011). The following data provides information on the students' age, sex and country of birth. It also includes the students´ parents’ country of birth. Age Sex Female Male Total 16 - 1 1 17 4 4 8 18 - 2 2 19 - 3 3 20 - 4 4 Total 4 14 18 Students country of birth Parents country of birth* Afghanistan 3 3 Bosnia - 1 Eritrea 1 1 Gambia and Sierra Leone - 1 Iraq 1 3 Lebanon - 1 Serbia 1 1 Somalia 4 5 Sweden 6 - Syria 1 1 Turkey 1 1 Total 18 18 *All parents are born outside Sweden. The total of 18 parents represents 36 individuals.

Expected Outcomes

Preliminary results Some of the interviewed students told about difficulties they faced and what the reasons for their failed results could be. The first reason was, despite their age, that some of them had not attended school in their country of origin. Second, as first immigrant in their school and not speaking Swedish lead to isolation from their classmates. Third, minimum time given for Swedish language lessons in some of their schools. Fourth, substitute teachers often coming and leaving, which made it difficult to develop a good relationship with them. Fifth, presence of only immigrant students in some schools which made it difficult to exercise Swedish and to make friends with native students. Most of the students have more than three siblings which makes it difficult to get sufficient attention from parents. Many parents have a too low level of education to be able to help their children with their schoolwork. As most parents are attending the compulsory Swedish language course and/or searching for work they have a minimum income. These families have even with their low income a “social obligation” to financially support relatives they left behind in their country of origin. Adults are taking the major responsibility for the support but some of the students are also contributing. There are students with a positive picture of their residential area, while most of them express their distance by saying it feels like they are in a territory outside Sweden. They experience lack of meaningful activities and recreation possibilities that are available in other parts of their city. They discuss deteriorating security situation and increasing criminality and drug abuse. There are also students who would not like their children to grow up in these suburbs due to the socio-economic problems they are experiencing.

References

References Anderson, A., Hamilton, R., Moore, D., Loewen, S., & Frater-Mathieson, K. (2004). Education of refugee children: Theoretical perspectives and best practice. In R. Hamilton & D. Moore (Eds.), Educational interventions for refugee children (pp. 1–11). London: Routledge. Behtoui, A. & Neergaard, A. (2015). Social capital and the educational achievement of young people in Sweden. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37(7), 947-969. Bergren, C. (2013). The influence of gender, social class and national background on education and work career? Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 3(3), 135-144. Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Cambridge: Harvard University Press Bourdieu, P. & Passeron, J-C. (1990). Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture. London: Sage Bryman, A. (2004) Social Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bunar, N. (2010). Nyanlända och lärande. En forskningsöversikt om nyanlända elever i den svenska skolan [Newly arrived students and their learning. A review of studies on newly arrived students in the Swedish school]. Vetenskapsrådets rapportserie 6:2010. Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet. Bunar, N. (2011). Multicultural urban schools in Sweden and their communities: Social predicaments, the power of stigma and relational dilemmas. Urban Education, 46(2), 141-146. Hamilton, R., & Moore, D. (2004). Educational interventions for refugee children: Theoretical perspectives and implementing best practices. London: Routledge. Kvale, S. (1996). An introduction to Qualitative Method. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Loseke, D.R. (2013). Methodological Thinking, Basic Principles of Social Research Design. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Nieuwenhuis, J. & Hooimelier, P. (2016). The association between neighbourhoods and educational achievements, a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 31 (2), 321-347. Nilson, J. & Bunar, N. (2015). Educational response to Newly arrived students in Sweden: Understanding the structure and influences of Post-Migration Ecology. Scandinavian Journal of Education Research, … Rutter, J. (2006). Refugee children in the UK. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press. Safipour, J. & Emami, A. (2011). Feelings of social alienation: A comparison of immigrant and non-immigrant Swedish youth. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 31(718), 456-468. Skolverket (National Agency for Education). (2004). Elever med utländsk bakgrund [Students with foreign background] (Dnr 74-2004:545). Stockholm: veteneskapsrådet Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council). (2011). Good Research Practice. Stockholm: Vetnskapsrådet.

Author Information

Getahun Yacob Abraham (presenting / submitting)

Karlstad University

Educational Studies

Karlstad

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