The Influence of Foreign-Born Population Rates on Immigrants' Academic Achievement

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Immigrant and Migrant Student Experiences and Academic Achievement

Abstract

Immigration rates have increased significantly in high-income countries. However, immigrants do not have the same experience in all high-income countries. Using the 2015 PISA mathematics assessment, our analysis of academic achievement in high-income countries is three-fold: first, we compare immigrant students’ to native students’ scores; second, we examine how SES moderates the effect of immigrant status; third, we explore how country-level foreign born population moderates the effect of immigrant status on achievement. Preliminary findings suggest that there is no evidence for the common assumption that high levels of immigration in a country result in immigrants pulling down the achievement of the country as a whole. Furthermore, socioeconomic status does not seem to have the effect that previous literature would suggest.

Authors

• Florencia Silveira, Brigham Young University

• Mikaela J. Dufur, Brigham Young University

• Jonathan Jarvis

• Kristie J. Rowley, Brigham Young University