Spain has been one of the European destinations preferred by migratory flows during the first decade of this century. Subsequently, and due to the international economic crisis, the attractiveness of the Spanish territory has diminished for the immigrant group given the difficulties to find stable work. As a consequence, in recent years a decrease in the flow of migrants has been observed, for whom our country is their final destination, but this does not mean that we do not continue to receive a significant number of foreigners who wish to set own roots within our borders and spend their lives here.
Within this group, the emphasis should be on the families, the population of interest for this study. Naturally, the school age children of these families attend Spanish educational institutions, compensating with their presence for much of the decline in the student population due to the decrease of the birth rate of native-born families. It is logical, therefore, that there is research attention in this regard. This is especially true if, as numerous studies show, the academic results of these students are lower than those of the children of native-born families as well as those of students from second-generation immigrant families (Vaquera and Cao, 2012; Calero and Escardibúl, 2013).
Much of the literature in the field has attempted to identify the factors linked to the performance of these students. In summary, it is believed that school performance is influenced by various factors and their interaction (Winne and Nestbit, 2010). Specifically, the importance of the individual variables of students can be considered: family culture and socioeconomic context (Santos, Godás and Lorenzo, 2013, 2016), and also the importance of other variables more linked to the school environment (Cordero, Crespo and Pedraja, 2013). Currently, there are studies focused on the personal conditions of the student (Carbonero, Martín-Antón, Monsalvo and Valdivieso, 2015), others that inquire into the importance of the families, and others that show in varying degrees factors related to the educational context.
It is within this research framework that the ESCULCA group of the University of Santiago de Compostela designed the ECO-FA-SE program. Conceived and designed to improve the educational performance of the students in Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE), it focuses on the most important areas for research on students’ academic performance:
- Personal conditions of the student: self-esteem, skills and abilities linked to the field of study and control of contextual variables.
- Introduction of methodological tools that help to improve school performance.
- Reinforcement of the family's knowledge regarding the educational and personal environment of their children.
Our working hypothesis is that the participation of schools, families and students in a socio-educational program designed to improve the academic performance of students in CSE will improve learning conditions and, therefore, these students’ educational and social success.
The goals of this intervention are:
a) Optimize the learning conditions of students in Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) to improve their educational performance.
b) Introduce cooperative work strategies in the CSE classrooms to improve student learning.
c) Work with families on basic aspects of their children’s education that influence their school success.
d) Encourage the development of habits and study techniques to make the most of the time dedicated to school tasks.
*This study is funded by the research project subsidized through publication of a competitive call by Xunta de Galicia (Spain), Deseño e avaliación dun programa para a mellora do rendemento educativo do alumnado inmigrante - Design and assessment of a program aimed at the improvement of academic performance of immigrant students - (10SEC214042PR).
