Individually endorsed and socially shared normative beliefs on acculturation: Resources and risk factors for academic and psychosocial adjustment in mid-adolescence.

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which normative beliefs on acculturation constitute (a) individual resources and risk factors for adolescents facing developmental tasks and (b) institutional norms that define developmental milieus in secondary schools. To what extent do egalitarianism, multiculturalism, assimilationism, and segregationism help or hinder academic and psychosocial adjustment in mid-adolescence? We examined how both individually endorsed beliefs and socially shared beliefs at the 10th-grade cohort level relate to students' academic performance, educational and occupational aspirations, motivational and emotional attachment to school, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Data came from a random sample of 15- to 17-year-olds in Berlin, Germany, assessed at the end of Grades 9 and 10 (N = 1,992). Multivariate analyses identified egalitarianism and multiculturalism as the most prevalent acculturation beliefs, forming a combined belief pattern that pairs recognition of equality with respect for diversity. At the individual level, this belief pattern was positively related to academic and psychosocial adjustment. Assimilationism beliefs were associated with higher motivational and emotional attachment to school in both minority and majority students. Segregationism beliefs were associated with higher self-esteem in all adolescents regardless of background, but with lower levels of academic performance in immigrant youth. At the grade cohort level, a single bipolar factor (egalitarianism/multiculturalism vs. assimilationism/segregationism) described the institutional diversity culture. An environment characterized by egalitarianism/multiculturalism beliefs was positively associated with motivational and emotional attachment to school but not related to academic adjustment or psychological well-being.

Cultural Identity and the Academic, Social, and Psychological Adjustment of Adolescents with Immigration Background

“…Surprisingly, endorsement of a multiculturalism climate among majority peers was associated with decreased self-esteem among adolescents with immigrant background. However, this counterintuitive finding is consistent with critiques of the multiculturalism concept (Rios, 2022 ) and experimental findings by Wilton et al ( 2019 ), who reported increased negative self-stereotyping of minorities when ethnic categorizations were accentuated in a multiculturalism climate (Baumert et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Surprisingly, the normative diversity beliefs shared by majority group peers in schools—an important feature of adolescents’ proximal developmental environment (Suárez-Orozco et al, 2018 )—did not seem to be associated with cultural identity formation either (Hypothesis 1b). One explanation could be that cultural diversity is generally accepted among the younger generation (see Measures; Baumert et al, 2023 ), making schools—despite considerable variation in the diversity climate ( ICC = 0.22)—a developmental environment that may serve as a buffer against societal rejection. Alternative explanations are that diversity-friendly attitudes only reflect behavior to a limited extent and that discrimination and microaggressions also vary between schools, or that the diversity climate of a school is determined more by the acculturation beliefs of the faculty than by those of the student body.…”

“…The acculturation beliefs of majority peers are an indicator of the institutional acceptance of immigration. Normative multiculturalism beliefs were assessed by three items (α = 0.84) from the German version (Baumert et al, 2023 ) of the multiculturalism scale by Hahn et al ( 2015 ; sample item: “I think that everyone benefits when many different cultures are represented in a school”). The items have a forced-choice format, ranging from 1 (= don’t agree at all ) to 4 (= totally agree ).…”