Intergroup Exclusion of Immigrants: The Role of Shared Knowledge and Stereotypes

• In Event: Adverse Experiences at School: Bias-based Bullying by Peers and Unfair Treatment by Teachers

Abstract

As a result of ongoing migration, schools become increasingly diverse, and school-aged young immigrants experience bias-based bullying and intergroup exclusion in schools (Stevens et al. 2020). Bystanders, peers who witness exclusion, can serve as central actors to offset both the occurrence and effects of social exclusion (Salmivalli et al., 2011). Research shows a developmental shift that compared to children, adolescents are more likely to evaluate social exclusion acceptable focusing more on group-related concerns (i.e., group functioning), and less likely to show bystander reactions to intergroup exclusion with increasing understanding of group dynamics and intergroup factors (Mulvey et al., 2016). Further, previous studies showed that shared characteristics like shared interest as well as stereotypic generalizations and assumptions about knowledge and interest affect children’s and adolescents’ inclusion decisions (Hitti & Killen, 2015). Yet, less is known about how these factors influence the developmental differences in the evaluations of and bystander reactions to intergroup exclusion from childhood into adolescence. This study examines how shared knowledge about certain peer activities and stereotypical generalizations about immigrants are related to children’s and adolescents’ evaluations of and bystander reactions to the intergroup exclusion of immigrant peers.

Data were collected from British children 203 (Mage=9.38, SD=.87, aged between 8-10) and 231 adolescents (Mage=13.87, SD=.80, aged between 12-15). Participants first were introduced to their gender-matched group of British friends who take part in a school competition about music popular in Britain as a team. Then they read a hypothetical exclusion scenario about a new student (i.e., an immigrant peer) being left out of their team. We manipulated the shared knowledge about the music competition held by the excluded immigrant peer: they either knew or did not know about music popular in Britain. We also measured the presence or absence of stereotypic generalization about immigrants by asking what they think of immigrants. Responses were coded according to whether they mention positive or negative stereotypic generalizations based on previous studies (Hitti & Killen, 2016). We measured participants’ evaluation of and bystander reactions to the intergroup exclusion of the immigrant peer. Intergroup contact and empathy were measured as covariates.

Results showed that participants in shared knowledge condition (when the new student knew about music) were more likely to think that their group would support them when they challenge the excluder compared to participants in non-shared knowledge condition (when the new student did not know about music). Children were more likely to show bystander challenging reactions compared to adolescents. Participants were more likely to show bystander challenging in the shared knowledge condition than in the nonshared knowledge condition. Participants were also more likely to show bystander challenging when they held positive stereotypes about immigrants than when they held any negative stereotypes about immigrants. Implications for the development of educational strategies to reduce the exclusion of immigrants and promote inclusive bystander behaviors that challenge prejudice-based exclusion in globalized societies, will be discussed.

Authors

• Ayşe Şule Yüksel, University Of Exeter
  Presenting Author

• Seçil Gönültaş, Bilkent University

• Tracey Anne Warren

• Sally Barbara Palmer, University Of Exeter

• Luke McGuire, University Of Exeter

• Melanie A. Killen, University of Maryland - College Park

• Adam Rutland, University Of Exeter