Intergroup Friendships in Italian Multiethnic Schools

• In Event: Learning in Diverse K–12 Settings: Exploring the Hidden Curriculum and Critical Disconnects

Abstract

Italian schools are increasingly multicultural spaces in which children of diverse ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, and cultural-linguistic practices interact on a daily basis. Thus, these spaces provide fertile ground for a continuum of relational experiences from positive intergroup relationships and friendships to tensions and experiences of discrimination and marginalization. This paper adds to a nascent interest in research on intergroup relations and friendships in Italian multiethnic schools. A large sample (n=1314) of middle school children were surveyed to understand their intergroup relationships in schools. Findings reveal that while youth report overall positive interactions in school contexts, intergroup friendships remain rare. More specifically, native Italian children report almost no intergroup friendships while non-Italian children report higher levels of intergroup friendships.
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Authors

• Cinzia Pica-Smith, Assumption College

• Bob Ives, University of Nevada - Reno

• Rina Manuela Contini, University of Chieti-Pescara (Italy)