Crossing Cultures at School

This study examines how interethnic contact in schools influences native adolescents’ support for the cultural maintenance of immigrant communities. Basing our research on intergroup contact and threat theories, we use the reduction of perceived threat as a benchmark for examining both direct and indirect effects of peer contact. The study distinguishes between three immigrant groups that differ in social status and cultural distance: Latinos, Romanians, and Moroccans. The analysis relies on survey data from 349 native secondary-school students in the Catalan region of Lleida (Spain). Results from a series of regression models reveal that contact with immigrant peers is positively associated with support for cultural maintenance, and this relationship is partially mediated by lower levels of perceived threat. However, these positive effects depend upon the social status of the target group: contact increases support for the cultural maintenance of Latinos and Romanians, but not for Moroccans, who occupy a more devalued position in the local ethnic hierarchy. We found no evidence of a secondary transfer effect across groups. Furthermore, peer contact in school emerges as the most relevant setting for fostering multicultural attitudes, compared with contact with adults or peers outside school. The findings highlight both the potential and the limits of interethnic contact in adolescence, underscoring the need to address status hierarchies and structural segregation to fully realize the integrative potential of diverse school environments.