The Positive Effects of Ethnic Diversity in Classrooms on the Educational Performance of Pupils in a Multi-Ethnic European Metropole

According to Robert Putnam (2007) ethnic diversity in cities and neighborhoods does not lead to an increase of trust and social capital as previously predicted by intergroup contact theory (Pettigrew, 1998); instead it triggers a reaction of hunkering down that leads to a decrease in trust and socia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEducation and society (Melbourne) Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 25 - 49
Main Authors Braster, Sjaak, Dronkers, Jaap
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published James Nicholas Publishers 2015
Subjects
Academic Achievement
Correlation
Cultural Pluralism
Ethnic Diversity
Ethnic Groups
Foreign Countries
Hypothesis Testing
Migrants
Outcomes of Education
Racial Composition
Secondary School Students
Statistical Analysis
Student Diversity
Urban Areas
Netherlands
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Summary:According to Robert Putnam (2007) ethnic diversity in cities and neighborhoods does not lead to an increase of trust and social capital as previously predicted by intergroup contact theory (Pettigrew, 1998); instead it triggers a reaction of hunkering down that leads to a decrease in trust and social capital of both in-group and out-groups. But what happens if we focus on youngsters that are growing up in a multi-ethnic metropole, that are considering ethnic diversity as a something "normal", and that are bridging their ethnic differences by sharing a common street culture and language? In this article we use data about 905 pupils, 41 classes and 11 schools in a European metropole to confirm the hypothesis that in this specific context ethnic diversity in classrooms does lead to positive effects on educational performance.
ISSN:0726-2655
DOI:10.7459/es/33.2.03