Students in very diverse schools are more likely to perform exceptionally when their culture and religious diversity have been recognised and appreciated, according to new research from KU Leuven.
The study, recently published in the academic journal ‘School Effectiveness and School Improvement’, found that solely promoting the Dutch language, or penalising students for speaking their home languages, didn’t enhance these chances.
Previous international studies have indicated that cultural diversity in schools doesn’t wholly account for academic results and student well-being. How schools manage this diversity is important. This new Belgian study is the first of its kind, focusing on Flanders’ primary schools.
Researchers, Professor Orhan Agirdag and Jozefien De Leersnyder (both from KU Leuven) examined 850 pupils from grades 5 and 6 within 18 ‘super-diverse’ schools in Ghent, Genk, and Antwerp, where 80% of students came from non-European cultural background.
The study is part of broader research considering how 58 Flemish primary schools deal with ethnic cultural diversity and its connection to the wellbeing and performance in maths of over 3,000 students.
Agirdag and De Leersnyder investigated the factors allowing some students to perform above average or exceed expectations. All students took the same maths test: dramatically, 44% of students scored above the average mark across all 58 schools, with 12% performing excellently.
A corresponding questionnaire analysed how the schools handled diversity and whether this affected a student’s chance of becoming a top performer.
According to the research, students' chances of performing above average were not influenced by whether they spoke a language other than Dutch at home or were religious. Students also did not perform better when schools only permitted Dutch or penalised students for speaking a different language in the playground.
When a school didn’t acknowledge the cultural identity and religion of its students – for example, not permitting the wearing of a headscarf – there was a decreased chance of students performing well.
"If a school advocates total assimilation (aiming to be as ‘Flemish’ as possible), the chances of a student scoring above average on the maths test are halved, and even four times less likely to score highly," reveals researcher De Leersnyder.
Celebrate students' diversity
"The results are unsurprising; they align with international literature. However, this is the first time this aspect has been thoroughly investigated, and proven, in Flemish schools and various aspects of their policies."
Ideal language policy in schools needs clarity, explains Agirdag. Students need clear and comprehensible rules about when they can speak their home languages. However, completely prohibiting a student’s home language in school has no effect.
The likely explanation lies in psychological processes including feeling at home and, thus, appreciated, or feeling discriminated against, adds De Leersnyder. "If a student’s home language and culture are seen as a ‘deficit’, they likely won’t feel as valued. And the science here is clear: discrimination correlates with worse school performance and feeling at home correlates with better performance."
In conclusion, the researchers urge policymakers to embrace diversity within schools. "Let’s adopt an open perspective, let’s see what science tells us and let’s proceed in a scientifically responsible manner," they advise.
