Ethnic prejudice, resilience, and perception of inclusion of immigrant pupils among Italian and Catalan teachers

In the current study we investigated the relationship between ethnic prejudice and resilience and the perception of inclusion of immigrant students among primary and middle school teachers in two different countries (Italy and Spain). Participants were 315 teachers: 75 Catalan women, 25 Catalan men, 202 Italian women, and 13 Italian men. Participants completed the Classical and Modern Racial Prejudice Scale, the Resilience Process Questionnaire, and an ad hoc questionnaire evaluating teachers’ perceptions about immigrant students and their inclusive education process. The results showed two different models: The first one, referring to Italian teachers, suggested that the resilience component “return to homeostasis” helps teachers in the creation of positive perceptions and evaluations toward immigrant pupils and their inclusion process. The second model, referring to Catalan teachers, suggested that ethnic prejudice hinders the creation of positive attitudes and evaluations, but the resilience component “reintegration after loss” helps teachers in the creation of positive attitudes. Psychoeducational and practical implications are discussed.