Conference Program

This contribution concerns a scoping review as an integral part of an extensive doctoral research, which focuses on the educational experiences of people with a migrant background in Italy. The phenomenon of interest being explored is related to the meanings and interpretations that the latter attribute to their educational path, with a focus on the integration process and the key turning points. The research involves people with a migrant background who have already completed their schooling. The research questions are therefore as follows:

R1: How do young adults with a migrant background interpret their schooling experience in Italy ex post?

R2: What meanings do young adults with a migrant background who were educated in Italy attribute to the role of school in their integration process?

R3: What events or conditions had a decisive impact (turning points, if any) on the integration trajectories of young people with a migrant background?

The theoretical framework is provided by Social Justice Education (SJE), which promotes a critical approach through an interdisciplinary, intercultural and intersectional perspective. To identify the cross-cutting and recurring elements found in the literature and to identify gaps in academic research, a scoping review was conducted through the EBSCO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases employing the PRISMA method. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were based on full-text accessibility, abstract in English and sources relevant and consistent with the research. It is also worth highlighting some limitations of this systematic review, linked to language and selection biases.

The two search strings investigated are as follows:

1st: migrants AND integration AND school experiences

2nd: TI (school experiences) AND migrants AND integration

The two search strings yielded 339 results from the three platforms, reduced to 269 after removing duplicates (n=70). After reviewing the abstracts and removing articles that are not fully accessible (n=245), 24 articles were identified for full analysis. The articles resulting from the search were sorted through the Software Zotero. The analysis of the articles is still ongoing. So far, at least four recurring and cross-cutting themes can be identified in the selected contributions:

• In the process of constructing otherness, school norms and customs tend to reproduce implicit models of ethnic belonging that favor the majority population. Some studies highlight how students with a migrant background develop hybrid identities;

• Language and daily interactions in schools can become vehicles for stereotypes and processes of symbolic exclusion of students with a migrant background, particularly toward so-called “racialized” individuals;

• Several studies highlight how teachers’ expectations can be influenced by stereotypes linked to students’ migrant origins. It should be noted, however, that some teachers have also played a positive, supportive role in students’ educational journey;

• Students with a migrant background experience both explicit and implicit forms of discrimination. Nevertheless, they also develop coping strategies and forms of resilience, thanks in part to family support.

To sum up, achievement or failure at school for people with migrant background is the result of multiple interconnected levels bearing in mind the intersection of ethnicity, social class, gender and migrant status.