Perceived Discrimination and School Engagement: A Mixed Method Research

Application summary

This project investigates how perceived discrimination shapes the school engagement of immigrant adolescents in Finland, and the protective role that social inclusion, cultural integration, school trust and contextual diversity may play in this process. Although Finland has historically had a small immigrant population, rapid demographic changes in recent decades have raised pressing questions about how young immigrants adapt and experience belonging in schools and society. Existing studies have demonstrated the harmful effects of discrimination but have paid limited attention to the buffering roles of social inclusion and school trust, or to the potential of supportive networks to buffer negative outcomes. The project applies a convergent mixed-methods design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative component draws on national data from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), covering adolescents aged 15–18 in schools across the country. Using structural equation modeling and mediation/moderation analysis, it examines the pathways linking cultural integration, inclusion, discrimination, and school belonging. The qualitative component consists of semi-structured interviews with 25–30 immigrant adolescents, focusing on their lived experiences of discrimination, belonging, and resilience in schools and communities. The integration of these two phases will generate a nuanced understanding of both generalizable trends and individual experiences. The expected outcomes include: (1) peer-reviewed publications advancing theoretical and empirical knowledge on adolescent migration and well-being, (2) policy-relevant findings to inform schools, NGOs, and policymakers, and (3) the development of new project proposals aimed at strengthening immigrant youth integration in Finland.