Acculturation preferences, conflict and cultural enrichment on secondary education in Western Catalonia
Journal for Multicultural Education
ISSN: 2053-535X
Article publication date: 5 May 2022
Issue publication date: 20 September 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Located in Western Catalonia (Spain), the article’s aim is to analyse the acculturation preferences of majority group high-school students towards their peers of Moroccan and Romanian descent. Furthermore, it aims to delve deeper into the influence on the perception of conflict with these groups mediated by cultural enrichment.
Design/methodology/approach
The data are the result of conducting a questionnaire among 349 autochthonous students enrolled in Compulsory Secondary Education in Catalonia. The data have been analyzed using cluster analysis, ANOVA and mediation analysis.
Findings
The findings show that a small number of high-school students construct integration acculturation preferences towards Moroccans and Romanians, while the majority of the preferences are of assimilation or segregation. In addition, the perceived conflict is higher for Moroccans than Romanians, and the cultural enrichment is higher for Romanians than for Moroccans. Finally, there is a low mediating effect of cultural enrichment on the relationship between acculturation preferences and degree of conflict.
Originality/value
The relevance and originality of this article stems from the application of acculturation theory on the construction of acculturation preferences in the educational domain. Additionally, it is a context characterized by an exceptional cultural and linguistic diversity. Furthermore, acculturation preferences, perceived degree of conflict and perceived cultural enrichment are analyzed comparatively regarding descendants of Moroccans and Romanians. This approach has scarcely been used at an international level, and practically never at the Spanish and Catalan level.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (BEAGAL18/00234), Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (2017 SGR 322), Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (2020 FISDUR 172), Universitat de Lleida (Grants scholarship resolution number 247/2018).
Citation
Lapresta-Rey, C., Hinostroza-Castillo, U., Senar, F. and Ianos, M.A. (2022), "Acculturation preferences, conflict and cultural enrichment on secondary education in Western Catalonia", Journal for Multicultural Education, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 399-414. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-09-2021-0179
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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