School Climate and Immigrant Students' Dispositions toward Their Countries of Settlement: Evidence from Europe

In this study, we extend prior research in the role of school climate in civic education by exploring the relationship between immigrant students' experiences of bullying and their attitudes toward their countries of settlement. Using the 2016 IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, we employ a multiple regression analysis with country fixed effects to this large-scale assessment, finding that first-generation immigrants who experience a positive school climate were likely to report nearly as positive an attitude about the nation as native-born students. However, this positive outlook is negated by the abusive experiences some students encounter in schools, suggesting the critical role of schools as bridges--or barriers--in the national attachment of immigrant students to their countries of settlement.