Immigrant students belong better and are more ambitious than Aussies

Immigrant students in Australia are more ambitious and have a greater sense of belonging than their Australian peers. 

Students from other countries are at lower risk of reporting ‘a weak sense of belonging at school’ according to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report. 

The report also showed immigrant students were 11 per cent more likely to hold ‘ambitious career expectations ‘ than native students on average across all countries. 

The students from overseas are also ‘more likely to hold ambitious career expectations’. 

Migrant students were 24 per cent less likely to report lack of belonging than their native counterparts. 

Children who arrived in Australia before the age of 12 had a better sense of belonging than those who arrived after the  same age. 

Australia and Switzerland were among the top countries for immigrant academic performance.

The students from overseas are also ‘more likely to hold ambitious career expectations’

‘The ability of such countries to nurture students from diverse backgrounds stems from several factors, including the selectivity of their immigration policies,’ the report stated. 

The quality of Australia’s education, language used to teach and historic openness to diversity also helped immigrants perform better. 

South African first-generation immigrant students were almost 50 per cent ‘more likely to be academically resilient’ than those from New Zealand. 

The report, titled ‘Resilience of Students with an Immigrant Background’ was published online in March.

The quality of Australia’s education, language used to teach and historic openness to diversity also helped immigrants perform better