engleski

The impact of school transitions from mono-ethnic to mixed-ethnic schools for adolescents in Vukovar, Croatia

School transitions bring changes such as the reorganization of social groups and the opportunity to make new friends. In segregated communities with histories of inter-ethnic conflict, these same transitions also bring tension and increased ethnic awareness to youth who have had little or no prior contact with other group members (Stephan & Stephan, 2005). These perceptions of tension and greater awareness of identity have been linked with increased tendency to discriminate against ‘other’ group members (Nesdale, Maass, Durkin, & Griffiths, 2005). The current study examines the role of perceived intergroup tension and strength of social identity on youths’ tendency to discriminate for youth transitioning from mono-ethnic primary schools to mixed-ethnic secondary schools in Vukovar, a divided society in Croatia along the border with Serbia devastated during the dissolution of the Former Yugoslavia. This paper uses path analysis to examine majority/minority differences to show how the increase in inter-ethnic tension and social identity contribute to out-group discrimination. The results are based on 230 self-reports from Croat and Serb youth in primary and secondary schools in Vukovar. The results suggest that compared to primary school students, secondary school students perceive more inter-ethnic tension and report higher levels of identification with their social group ; both social identity and perceived intergroup tension were related to greater likelihood of discriminating against out-group members. However, differences between Croat (majority) and Serb (minority) youth emerged. The findings have implications for school and educational policies in ethnically-diverse contexts.

school transition; mono-ethnic schools; multi-ethnic schools. post-conflict community; majority; minority schooling; Vukovar

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