The measurement of social integration among pupils: school and outside friendships

Giulia Rivellini, Università Cattolica, Milan
Laura Terzera, Università Milano, Bicocca

In this contribution we want to supply an empirical measurement of social integration by individualization of the ways along which foreign origin pre-adolescents live their socialization with peers, that is a fundamental aspect (the friendship) of the kind/level of integration. Our focus is on Lombardy first-grade secondary (junior) school kids, aschool grade that is compulsory for everyone preceding the choice of senior school in a region (Lombardy) that has the highest foreign presence in Italy. The source of data is represented by a regional (Lombardy) sample survey conducted in 2006 on the first-grade secondary schools with a foreign presence of higher than 10%. The individualization of social marginalization, ethnic isolation and pre-adolescents’ characteristics with these social profiles can be useful to understand if these situations are only transient (i.e. depend on the socialisation) or concern a specific “type” of foreign origin child that needs school integration school policies.