Young Migrants on their way to Success

Paper

<p style="text-align: justify;">Talented and successful young migrants seem to be a minority at first sight. Studies in the past such as PISA in 2016 have mostly been limited to the deficits of migrants. However, this paper outlines a new approach to the current research by highlighting the success of young migrants in the educational system in Vienna.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Concerning this topic the knowledge of the characteristics of gifted students is based on very limited data. The study presented here aims at not only reflecting the positive examples of students with migration background but also at investigating the conditions which favor their educational success.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The data was collected by a semi-quantitative research that was realized by a questionnaire (60 full responses) and interviews with 7 students. The reason for this method was not only to show a wide range of answers but also to stress different items such as feelings of integration. The sample was selected on the basis of students with migration background attending voluntary advanced courses in high schools.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The results show that criteria such as a high educational aspiration of the family, a young age of entry, no return intentions of parents as well as few experiences of discrimination have a positive influence on the development of students with migration background.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">In summary, these findings describe the profile of a successful young migrant in the educational system. Future research should look into how such favorable conditions can be created for more migrants.</p>