Understanding school leaders and educators’ attitudes towards youth migrants: An experimental analysis

Abstract

Due to the global economic and political crises in various regions of the world in recent years, the flow of migrants from countries with deeper structural problems to more developed countries has increased dramatically. At national level, education is the basis on which the values, philosophy, ideology, and culture of a nation are determined. Behavior is analyzed from both psychological and sociological perspectives. The purpose of the paper is, through an experimental analysis of Greek school leaders and educators in the upper level of secondary education, to investigate their attitudes towards young immigrants that attend Greek high schools and determine whether or not their behavior is being influenced by psychological or sociological aspects of the migration phenomenon. The experimental results are in accordance with both sociological and psychological perspectives for the chosen behaviors of school educators. It is clear that familiarity, experience and the exercise of educational policy are critical factors influencing teachers' attitudes towards young immigrants. No difference in behavior has been found except for a slightly more positive attitude towards emigration. In view of the above, recognizing the importance of more cohesive and socially protective educational policies and practices would have far-reaching consequences.