Learning Across Borders: Context of Reception, Networks, and Aspirations of Immigrant-Origin Adolescents
PERIOD:
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Immigrant-origin students contribute significantly to many countries, yet social and structural barriers persist to equitable opportunities. While much research has focused on academic outcomes like reading, science, and college attainment, these metrics alone do not capture the full scope of challenges. Equally crucial is supporting youth in fostering aspirations and achieving their goals.
To address these inequities holistically, it is essential to understand the factors that shape aspirations that can profoundly shape trajectories beyond adolescence and are influenced by inequitable opportunity structures. This longitudinal, mixed-methods, cross-national comparative multiple-case study will examine immigrant-origin middle school students’ dynamic aspirations in the US and Switzerland. The study explores how their aspirations are shaped by their social networks and experiences within schools and communities, embedded in nested contexts of reception. Data will be collected through student and educator interviews, surveys, social network analysis, and observations in three schools in the US and Switzerland. Previous work has identified key factors that differ between the two countries that shape aspirations, including education systems, political and economic contexts, and immigrant-origin youths’ educational attainment, offering ideal comparisons between the US and Switzerland.
