Migrant Students’ Sense of Belonging and the Covid‐19 Pandemic: Implications for Educational Inclusion

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: This article investigates school belonging among migrant students and how this changed during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Drawing on quantitative data gathered from 751 migrant students in secondary schools in six European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK), we examined the impact of Covid‐19 school closures, social support, and post‐traumatic stress symptoms on changes in school belonging. Linear regression showed a non‐significant decrease in school belonging, and none of the studied variables had a significant effect on this change in our whole sample. However, sensitivity analysis on a subsample from three countries (Denmark, Finland, and the UK) showed a small but significant negative effect of increasing post‐traumatic stress symptoms on school belonging during Covid‐19 school closures. Given that scholarship on school belonging during Covid‐19 is emergent, this study delineates some key areas for future research on the relationship between wellbeing, school belonging, and inclusion.

Source: Social Inclusion

DOI: 10.17645/si.v10i2.5106

Institutions: Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Copenhagen, Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Uppsala University, Dalarna University, University of Sussex, Tampere University, University of Tampere, University of Turku

Language: English

Topic: Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,132

Funder: European Commission

Awards: G434337789, Preventive school-based interventions to promote the mental well-being of refugee and migrant adolescents

OpenAlex ID: W4214566391