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. [Resumen] Las relaciones interpersonales ocupan un lugar central en la vida de los adolescentes, no solo aquellas en las que ellos están implicados sino las que se producen a su alrededor. Este estudio considera su percepción de la “dimensión comunitaria del clima escolar”, centrada en las relaciones familia-escuela y las relaciones escolares, y su papel en los resultados escolares. Participaron 745 alumnos residentes en Galicia, España. Sus edades oscilaban entre los 12 y los 18 años (M = 14.5, DE =1.67). Los alumnos españoles constituían el 81% de la muestra mientras que un 19% eran inmigrantes. Se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los alumnos españoles e inmigrantes en su percepción de las relaciones familia-escuela, aunque estos datos no fueron significativos para los resultados escolares. En la muestra inmigrante, la variable “relaciones escolares” explicaba un 20% de sus resultados escolares. Para los estudiantes españoles, esta variable junto con su edad y el nivel educativo de sus padres y madres explicaban el 27% de sus calificaciones. Los resultados enfatizan el impacto relacional de los procesos percibidos dentro de la escuela y apuntan a la importancia de invertir en la mejora de dichas relaciones, sobre todo cuando los alumnos son inmigrantes.