The inclusion process of young Romanians in Catalonia (Spain): the relationship between participating in classes of L1, self-identification, and life-satisfaction

Abstract

We analyse the influence of attending or not attending classes of the language of origin in self-identification and in life-satisfaction. In addition, we analyse how these elements are related to the perception of integration of young immigrants of Romanian origin in a multilingual and multicultural context like that of Catalonia (Spain). We present a mixed method study. A total of 131 young people of Romanian origin (74 females and 57 males), aged between 12 and 18 years completed a questionnaire. We also carried out 34 in-depth semi-structured interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative results prove that attending or not RLCC courses does not have a significant influence on self-identifications. Results coincide in that young people self-identify more with their ethnical group of origin; however, a tendency towards hybridisation is revealed as the length of stay increases. Diversely, those who present more self-identification with Catalonia and less with their origin, felt more comfortable in the receiving country. Expectations perceived from these young people point mainly towards the need to assimilate and abandon who they are in order to feel more at ease, an element that may encompass stressful psychological factors, resulting in discomfort and conflict.

This work is part of two larger research projects and a grant funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Business (reference number: EDU2014-54093-R, EDU2017-82479-R & IJCI-2016-28250) and the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants – AGAUR of the Government of Catalonia (reference number: 2017 SGR 322).