Perceived discrimination against Dutch Muslim youths in the school context and its relation with externalising behaviour

Abstract

The role of the source of discrimination in relation to minority Muslim youths' psychosocial well-being has received remarkably little attention in the post-9/11 climate. We have examined one of the aspects of psychosocial well-being that is given prominent attention in the media and public discourse, namely externalising behaviour. The article reports whether perceived discrimination by four sources (school peers and teachers, peers, and adults outside the school) is related to externalising behaviour. Links between perceived discrimination sources and externalising behaviour among Dutch Muslim youths (n = 308, ages 14-18) were examined through surveys. The quantitative findings guided our qualitative analyses of interviews with 10 Muslim Dutch youths on their accounts of discrimination in the school context. When comparing different discrimination sources, only teacher discrimination was found to predict externalising behaviour significantly (explaining 15% of the variance). The qualitative follow-up illustrated the significance of teacher discrimination: Some Muslim youths felt that their teachers held back their school progress, while others reported receiving insults from teachers about their parents' native country and their religion. We argue that students' perceived powerlessness within the teacher-student relationship deserves further attention, as some Dutch Muslim youths reported painful experiences, with perceived teacher discrimination linked to higher levels of externalising behaviour.

In the shadow of September 11: The roots and ramifications of anti‐Muslim attitudes in the United States

“…Beyond academics, discriminatory experiences can influence externalizing behaviors among adolescents including aggression, substance abuse, and disobedience (Benner et al., 2018). For instance, Dutch Muslim youth who reported incidents of discrimination by their teachers were more likely to exhibit externalizing behaviors like lying, stealing, and aggression (van Bergen et al., 2021). These findings highlight the broad impact of discriminatory experiences on various aspects of Muslim students' academic and behavioral outcomes.…”

Youth experiences of racism and family ethnic‐racial socialization in Germany: What we (don't) know

“…Specifying the source of discrimination is important. A study in the Netherlands found that only teacher discrimination (and not peer or adults outside of school) was linked to externalizing behaviour among Muslim Dutch adolescents (van Bergen, Feddes, & de Ruyter, 2021). Studies in the U.S. find that the source of discrimination may vary by ethnic‐racial group and have differential consequences.…”