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Home > Vol 13, No 1 (2020) > Strychnou

Research Articles

Greek Educators’ Views on Migrant Students: Social-Demographic Differences

Stavroula-Vera Strychnou*^a

[a] Department of Psychology, South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

Abstract

This research was conducted to explore and compare Greek educators’ views on migrant students, as well as to establish some social-demographic differences in Greek teachers’ views. The research was cross-sectional, and the research instrument was a questionnaire. The sampling technique used in the present research was the non-probability sampling, and even the purposive sampling was used. All the participants were educators, and the sample consisted of 150 participants. In Greek literature, there is a limited number of studies on teachers' views on migrant students and their integration in the general school. Based on this research, it was found that most of the studied teachers had positive views on migrant students. The most negative views on migrant students were expressed overtly by the female Greek teachers, who were 41-60 years old (M = 52.7, SD= 2.35), had postgraduate studies, were in good economic situation, married, and lived in villages. In contrast, the most positive views on migrant students were expressed overtly by the male Greek teachers, who were 18-40 years old, hold Ph.D., were in bad economic situation, single, and lived in cities. Given these results, it is necessary to educate teachers, as well as to carry out more research on the individual difficulties faced by teachers and students, as school is the miniature of the society and therefore school integration extends to social inclusion.

Keywords: Greek educators, Greek schools, Migrant students, Teachers

Table of Contents

Psychological Thought, 2020, Vol. 13(1), 12-36, https://doi.org/10.37708/psyct.v13i1.367  

Received: 2019-04-02. Accepted: 2019-10-17. Published (VoR): 2020-04-30. 

Handling Editor: Natasha Angelova, South-West University "Neofit Rilski", Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria 

*Corresponding author at: South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, 66, Ivan Mihailov Street, 2700 Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, E-mail: verastrychnou@gmail.com   

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Common Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

The Greek school of the 21st century has been shaped in a multicultural and multilingual environment (Baltatzis & Davelos, 2014), as a result of the migratory flows that Greece and Europe have received in recent decades (Chatzisotiriou & Xenofontos, 2014). In this perspective, the intercultural model of education is a new educational approach to a multicultural society, which is constantly changing and where people's identities are under constant negotiation.

Theoretical Part

In the intercultural model of education, the aim is to reform the school, by adopting those educational practices that will facilitate the communication between all the people who participate in the educational procedure and ensure educational equality (Georgogiannis, 2009). The intercultural model of education can be applied within the classroom through both the curriculum and the pedagogical application (Guo & Jamal, 2007). This model of education promotes the formation of more equitable and pluralist educational environments (Nieto & Bode, 2008).

The issue of multilingualism or bilingualism is an important dimension of intercultural education. In particular, when referring to bilingual / multilingual students, one usually means those who may be migrant children or members of minority or ethnic groups and use other languages ​​in their communication with their family or members of their community, except for the language of the school and the wider society where they live (Tsokalidou, 2004). Multilingualism is an important dimension of multicultural society and raises a question of pedagogical equality (Chatzisotiriou & Xenofontos, 2014), i.e. creating equal educational opportunities for the entire student population.

Educators have a multidimensional role as mediators in the students’ transition towards the knowledge society. Because teachers themselves are carriers of their own cultural identities within the social context in which they have socialized and worked (Kohli, 2014), this involves both the risk of co-structuring and continuing non-fair educational environments, and the reproduction of their own cultural values ​​(Brant, 2013). As the linguistic, national, economic and socio-political heterogeneity increases, teachers are asked to teach their students both their own dominant culture and the culture of their peers / classmates coming from different countries of origin (Palaiologou & Evangelou, 2003). Thus, while the intercultural training of teachers (Georgogiannis, 2009) and their intercultural competence (Balabanidou & Pozoukidis, 2010) is a key factor in the implementation of the principles of intercultural pedagogy, Greek teachers express low intercultural preparedness in education, which leads them to adopt stereotypical views on intercultural pedagogy and counseling in the school context (Angelopoulou & Manesis, 2017a).

In Greece, some surveys show that the teachers have positive views on migrant students (Angelakos et al., 2008). They do not seem to be characterized as xenophobic or intolerant, neither as interested in intercultural education (Damanakis, 2005). They accept the difference and contribute fruitfully to the students’ peaceful coexistence (Athanasiou, 2001), accept the value of each culture, recognize the right of everyone to maintain their national identity and declare that they would teach migrant children (Emke-Poulopoulou, 2007). They respect the culture, education and mother tongue of children (Gotovos, 2002). They positively address the existence of culturally diverse pupils in the classroom (Kasimati, 2006).

However, they consider work within a multicultural class difficult (Nikolaou, 2000). In their view, children from different cultural backgrounds have difficulties in adapting themselves and therefore often abstain from activities (Pagouni & Karountzou, 2007). Sometimes they have problems of learning and behavior (Tsiakalos, 2000; Tsokalidou, 2012). Teachers consider that the adaptation of pupils from different cultural backgrounds to school have a crucial role both in the language and in the family environment (Papachristos, 2005). In other studies, teachers consider migration to be a threat to Greek homogeneity and identity in the educational system (Milesi, 2006). In addition, according to Gotovos & Markou (2003), Greek educators appear reluctant to accept the different and the new knowledge of the "other". They focus on the deficiencies of the students, as well as on their difficulty in learning the Greek language. Finally, another study concludes that cultural specificity is ultimately perceived as a deviation from what is considered normal in the school class (Damanakis, 2005). In almost all surveys, there is a lack of teacher education in terms of cultural diversity within the classroom, and emphasis is placed on the need and the desire for training on issues of multiculturalism (Angelakos et al., 2008).

More generally, existing Greek surveys (Baltatzis & Davelos, 2014; Damanakis, 2005; Milesi, 2006; Pagouni, & Karountzou, 2007; Papavasiliou, 2015; Tsokalidou, 2012; Vasiliadis, 2012) on teachers' views towards immigrant pupils have failed to give a homogeneous result on whether perceptions are positive or negative. Several studies show that perceptions are predominantly positive (Angelakos et al., 2008; Athanasiou, 2001; Gotovos, 2002; Kasimati, 2006), but another portion of the studies have been found to be negative (Angelopoulou & Manesis, 2017a; Dragona et al., 2001; Gkaintartzi et al., 2015). According to Angelopoulou & Manesis’s recent survey (2017a), teachers found obstacles such as the past linguistic and cultural experiences of their pupils, as well as parental behavior as obstacles to the implementation of intercultural pedagogy. This finding is in line with recent research evidence suggesting teachers' negative perception of the use of non-Greek languages ​​by pupils and the negative impact that they think they have in the learning process (Gkaintartzi et al., 2015), as well as that many teachers do not recognize the linguistic and cultural background of these pupils (Dragona et al., 2001). These findings are in line with modern pedagogical perception, according to which languages ​​can be seen as a source of social wealth, which should also be the goal of education (Skourtou, 2002). In any case, however, it is positive that teachers recognize the importance of knowledge of the mother tongue, as well as of the cultural burden it implies on the culture of these pupils in shaping the educational program. In addition, on how to address the educational needs of bilingual students within the classroom, teachers seem to use mainly extra-curricular practices such as providing practical instructions to parents and empowering the parents of these pupils, not primarily related to the teaching process (Gkaintartzi et al., 2015). They use less intercultural pedagogical practices, such as lesser exercises and diversified teaching. Overall, the research results show that teachers do not highly recognize their own responsibility for meeting the needs of migrant pupils, as evidenced by various studies in Greece on the stereotyped perception of teachers about intercultural pedagogy (Gkaintartzi & Tsokalidou, 2011) and their inability to perceive the advisory dimension of their role in this context despite the linguistic (Angelopoulou & Manesis, 2017a), since they still perceive intercultural pedagogy and its role more as integration and less as a consultative process (Angelopoulou & Manesis, 2017b). In addition, the factors such as gender, age, education, readiness to address intercultural pedagogy issues, further education and / or intercultural training and teachers’ service years seem to significantly influence their perception of what constitutes an obstacle to teaching of immigrant pupils, as well as the pedagogical strategies they adopt to meet the educational needs of these pupils (Angelopoulou & Manesis, 2017a).

At the same time, according to the survey by Nikolaou (2005), 62% of teachers believe that children of immigrants should not be enrolled in any school, 30% are negatively affected by the presence of foreign students in Greek schools, and one in five considers the parents' concerns about the presence of foreign pupils in school to be valid. Similar findings have also emerged from Tsokalidou (2012), who found that 51% of teachers considered migrant children to be enrolled in separate schools. Also, according to Papavasiliou (2015), teachers believe that learning the Greek language helps children to integrate more smoothly into both the school and the social environment and this can be easily achieved through the reception classes aimed at the learning of the Greek language to immigrant pupils. Also, as far as intercultural schools are concerned, teachers believe that they are not more effective in learning than common schools (Deli, 2018).

Finally, according to the study by Vasiliadis (2012), the presence of children from different cultural environments is a problem as teachers have found that they see it as a brake on the progress of the class. Although the same teachers, by a large majority, adopt and believe in the adoption of a cross-cultural perspective by all, however, they seem to pre-empt above all the need to accept from the "other" the values ​​of Greek society and the "natural" acceptance of inclusion promotes as values ​​and knowledge to succeed in their lives (Boutsiouki, 2018, p.143). This adaptation requires a change in the way of "behavior" and sometimes the elimination of other pre-requisites of intercultural education (equality, etc.) so that students acquire the knowledge that will allow them to experience "success" (Gotovos et al., 2019, p.51).

It can be seen, therefore, that Greek teachers’ views vary, from the overtly racist, to the total condemnation of xenophobia and racism. There is therefore a need to explore teachers’ views on migrant students. However, based on the above findings and literature review, two hypotheses were formulated:

1. Greek teachers would have more positive than negative views on migrant students.

2. The socio-demographic characteristics would be important factors determining teacher’s views.

The aim of the research was to explore and compare Greek educators’ views on migrant students, as well as to establish some social-demographic differences in Greek teachers’ views.

Method

General Background

The type of the research that was conducted was the quantitative. The research was cross-sectional as each participant was studied only once. Also, the research instrument was the questionnaire. As far as the scope of the research is concerned, this research investigated socio-demographic differences and the views of Greek educators as far as concerned migrant students.

As regards the conduct of the research, between February and March 2018, the participants were informed in detail concerning their voluntary participation in the study and its purpose, so their informed consent was given. As first, the participants were orally informed about the purpose and objectives of the survey, as well as their anonymity. In March 2018, the questionnaires were constructed. The questionnaires were distributed between March and May 2018, and during March-May 2018, the questionnaires were completed by the participants.

Participants

The sampling technique used in the present research was the non-probability sampling, purposive sampling. In this research, all the participants were Greek educators. The research sample consisted of 150 participants, as this sample is considered satisfactory to answer the research questions that have been asked (Dafermos, 2011). Moreover, Greek educators were from all regions of Greece.

Table 1

Frequencies of socio-demographic differences in the sample of Greek teachers

Social categories	Type of social category	N	Percentage
Gender	Male	70	46.7
	Female	80	53.3
Age group	18-29 years old	8	5.3
	30-40 years old	55	36.7
	41-50 years old	65	43.3
	51-60 years old	22	14.7
Educational level	Postgraduate studies	117	78
	PhD	33	22
Economic situation	Very good	4	2.7
	Good	86	57.3
	Modest	54	36
	Bad	6	4
Family situation	Married	99	66
	Single	41	27.3
	Divorced	10	6.7
Place of residence	City	125	83.3
	Province	17	11.3
	Village	8	5.3

As shown in Table 1, most of the survey participants were women, aged 41-50 years old (M = 43.5, SD= 1.17), with postgraduate studies, good financial status, married, and stayed in city.

Data Collection

For data collection, the questionnaire was used as the research tool. The choice of this research tool has been made as a large number of data can be collected, and ensures the anonymity of the participants (Dafermos, 2011).

The questionnaire that was used in this research was created by the researcher on the basis of the existing literature about teacher’s views on migrant students. The teachers were asked the following questions:

If migrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but must be in specially formed classrooms (Athanasiou, 2001; Kasimati, 2006).

If they encouraged children in the classroom to chat with immigrant students (Charavitsidis, 2009; Dimakos & Tasiopoulou, 2003).

If they considered that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class (Angelakos, et al., 2008; Papazoi, 2016).

If it is important to have special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class (Lolakas, 2010).

The scale of answering was a five-degree Likert scale in which teachers ticked X in a response depending on the degree to which they agreed or disagreed (All, Little, Moderate, A lot, Very much).

It is worth noting that Cronbach’s alpha was very low, as it was .429, so the questionnaire was regarded as a survey questionnaire, and the answers on each question were analyzed separately without computing a total score. Finally, an existing instrument for measuring attitudes towards migrant students was not selected, as the researcher attempted to create original questions based on the research objectives that were set, and not to use a ready-made instrument, even though the existing instruments are more reliable (e.g. European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019; Meuleman & Billiet, 2012; van der Veer et al., 2008).

Data Analysis

The program used for statistical analysis of the data was the IBM SPSS 23. Descriptive statistics were used for the presentation and analysis of the data, and chi-square analysis for group differences on the nominal or ordinal measurement level. Because it was the case of violation of some assumptions for applying chi-square test – the expected counts less than 5 should not be more than 20% and the minimum expected count should not be less than 1, the value of Likelihood ratio was applied as a more appropriate measure for association between the variables than the value of chi-square test, as Özdemir and Eyduran (2005) recommended.

Results of Research

As for the teachers' views on whether immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children, but should be in specially formed classrooms, most teachers (52%, n = 78) answered that they moderately agreed with this view. 14.7% of the sample (n = 22) agreed a lot, 24% (n = 36) agreed little with this view, while 9.3% (n = 14) disagreed very much with this view.

In addition, 58 teachers (38.7%) indicated that they encouraged very much native students to chat with immigrant students, 50 teachers (33.3%) said they encouraged them a lot, but 36 teachers (24%) said they encouraged them a little, and 6 teachers (4%) said that they did not encourage them at all.

Furthermore, 56% of the sample (n = 84) agreed moderately with the view that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class. 34.7% (n = 52) were quite agreeable with this view and 9.3% (n = 14) totally agreed.

Finally, 57.3% of the sample (n = 86) totally agreed that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class, and 42.7% of the sample (n = 64) agreed moderately with this view.

Subsequently, some statistically significant differences of teacher’s responses are analyzed.

Gender differences

As it can be seen from Table 2 below, a chi-square test was performed for gender differences and it was found a statistically significant difference between the frequencies of male and female teachers who stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children, but should be in specially formed classrooms χ² (3, N = 150) = 12.055, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 13.044, p < .001; Phi = .381. More female Greek teachers (36.7% of them) than male Greek teachers (15.77% of them) stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms.

Another chi-square test was performed, and it was revealed a statistically significant difference between the frequencies of male and female teachers who encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students χ² (4, N = 150) = 22.112, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 20.511, p < .001; Phi = .203. More male Greek teachers (67.1% of them) than female Greek teachers (34.2% of them) stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students.

Also, a statistically significant difference was shown between the frequencies of male and female teachers who stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class χ² (4, N = 150) = 12.356, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 12.891, p < .001; Phi = .423. More female Greek teachers (67.6% of them) than male Greek teachers (20.8% of them) stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.

However, there was not any statistically significant difference between the frequencies of male and female teachers who stated that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class χ² (2, N = 150) = 2.341, p = .672; Likelihood ratio = 2.599, p = .672; Phi = .099.

Table 2

Chi-square tests for gender differences in Greek educators’ views on migrant students

Questions	χ2	df	p	%
				Male	Female
Migrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but must be in specially formed classrooms.	12.055	3	<.001	15.77	36.7
I encourage children in the classroom to chat with immigrant students.	22.112	4	<.001	67.1	34.2
I consider that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.	12.356	4	<.001	20.8	67.6
It is important to have special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class.	2.341	2	.672	-	-

Age differences

A chi-square test was performed for age group differences and there was a statistically significant difference between the frequencies of teachers who stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children, but should be in specially formed classrooms χ² (6, N = 150) = 48.971, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 49.001, p < .001; Phi = .202. The studied Greek teachers in the age group of 51-60 years old (39.8% of them) and in 41-50 years old (29.9% of them) more frequently considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms. Also, the studied Greek teachers in the age group of 30-40 years old (16.5% of them) moderately considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms, and the studied Greek teachers in the age group of 18-29 years old (12.1% of them) less frequently considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms.

Another chi-square test was performed, and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of the age groups of teachers who stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students χ² (12, N = 150) = 32.387, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 32.459, p < .001; Phi = .456. The studied Greek teachers in the age group of 18-29 years old (45.6% of them) more frequently stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students. However, the studied Greek teachers in the age group of 41-50 years old (13.2% of them) and in the age group of 51-60 years old (19.2%) less frequently stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students, while the studied Greek teachers in the age group of 30-40 years old (32.6% of them) moderately stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students.

Also, a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of the age groups of teachers who stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class χ² (9, N = 150) = 23.575, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 24.227, p < .001; Phi = .401. The studied Greek teachers in the age group of 51-60 years old (40.5% of them) and in the age group of 41-50 years old (34.9% of them) more frequently stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class. On the contrary, the studied Greek teachers in the age group of 30-40 years old (16.4% of them) and in the age group of 18-29 years old (9.1% of them) less frequently stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.

Another chi-square test was performed, and a statistically significant difference was found between the age groups of teachers who stated that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class χ² (12, N = 150) = 34.321, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 34.446, p < .001; Phi = .209. The studied Greek teachers in the age group of 30-40 years old (24.3% of them) and in the age group of 18-29 years old (21.4% of them) more frequently stated that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class, while the studied Greek teachers in the age group of 41-50 years old (16.4% of them) and in the age group of 51-60 years old (12.2% of them) less frequently stated that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class Table 3.

Table 3

Chi-square tests for age differences in Greek educators’ views on migrant students

Questions	χ2	df	p	%
				18-29	30-40	41-50	51-60
Migrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but must be in specially formed classrooms.	48.971	6	<.001	12.1	16.5	29.9	39.8
I encourage children in the classroom to chat with immigrant students.	32.387	12	<.001	45.6	32.6	13.2	19.2
I consider that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.	23.575	9	<.001	9.1	16.4	34.9	40.5
It is important to have special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class.	34.321	12	<.001	21.4	24.3	16.4	12.2

Educational differences

As it can be seen from Table 4 below, a chi-square test was performed for educational differences and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different educational level who stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children, but should be in specially formed classrooms χ² (4, N = 150) = 36.241, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 37.018, p < .001; Phi = 0.319. More teachers with postgraduate studies (55.8% of them) than teachers who hold PhD (35.9% of them) considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms.

Another chi-square test was performed, and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different educational level who stated that encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students χ² (4, N = 150) = 24.557, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 24.891, p < .001; Phi = .331. More teachers who had PhD (44.1% of them) than teachers with postgraduate studies (27.6% of them) stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students.

Also, a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different educational level who stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class χ² (4, N = 150) = 17.654, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 18.213, p < .001; Phi = .399. More teachers with postgraduate studies (34.2% of them) than teachers who had PhD (17.9% of them) stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.

Another chi-square test was performed, and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different educational level who stated that that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class (χ² (6, N = 150) = 47.509, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 47.871, p < .001; Phi = .482). More teachers with postgraduate studies (49.8% of them) than teachers who had PhD (34.6% of them) stated that that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class.

Table 4

Chi-square tests for educational differences in Greek educators’ views on migrant students

Questions	χ2	df	p	%
				Postgraduate studies	Ph.D.
Migrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but must be in specially formed classrooms.	36.241	4	<.001	55.8	35.9
I encourage children in the classroom to chat with immigrant students.	24.557	4	<.001	27.6	44.1
I consider that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.	17.654	4	<.001	34.2	17.9
It is important to have special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class.	47.509	6	<.001	49.8	34.6

Differences in the economic situation

A chi-square test was performed for differences in economic situations, and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with a different economic situation who stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms χ² (12, N = 150) = 21.296, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 22.239, p < .001; Phi = .367. More teachers in a good economic situation (39.7% of them) considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms. Also, teachers in very good economic situation (28.9% of them) frequently considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms, while teachers with modest (12.1% of them) and in bad (4.4% of them) economic situation less frequently considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms.

At the same time, there was a statistically significant difference between the frequencies of the answers of Greek teachers with different economic situation who stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class χ² (12, N = 150) = 60.701 p = .000; Likelihood ratio = 60.779, p = .000; Phi = .235. More Greek teachers in a good economic situation (64.7% of them) stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class, than the studied Greek teachers in moderate (35.9% of them), very good (24.4% of them) and bad (11.3% of them) economic situations.

However, there was not any statistically significant difference between the frequencies of the answers of Greek teachers with different economic situation who stated that they encouraged very much native students to chat with immigrant students χ² (6, N = 150) = 11.329, p = .246; Likelihood ratio = 12.335, p = .246; Phi =.129, neither who stated that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class χ² (3, N = 150) = 2.010, p = .919; Likelihood ratio = 2.963, p = .813; Phi = .116 (Table 5).

Table 5

Chi-square tests for economic situation differences in Greek educators’ views on migrant students

Questions	χ2	df	p	%
				Very good	Good	Moderate	Bad
Migrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but must be in specially formed classrooms.	21.296	12	<.001	28.9	39.7	12.1	4.4
I encourage children in the classroom to chat with immigrant students.	60.701	12	<.001	24.4	64.7	35.9	11.3
I consider that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.	11.329	6	.246	-	-	-	-
It is important to have special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class.	2.010	3	.919	-	-	-	-

Family status differences

A chi-square test was performed for differences in family status and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different family status who stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children, but should be in specially formed classrooms χ² (12, N = 150) = 34.225, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 35.461, p < .001; Phi = .372. More married teachers (53.1% of them) than divorced (33.2% of them) and single (13.4% of them) teachers considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms.

Another chi-square test was performed, and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different family status who stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students χ² (6, N = 150) = 56.174, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 56.207, p < .001; Phi = .405. More single teachers (71.4% of them) than divorced (30.6% of them) and married (10.9% of them) teachers stated that they encouraged very much native students to chat with immigrant students.

However, as it can be seen from Table 6 below, there was not any statistically significant difference between the frequencies of the answers of Greek teachers with different family situation who stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class χ² (4, N = 150) = 11.579, p = .210; Likelihood ratio = 8.126, p = .087; Phi = .272, neither who stated that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class χ² (2, N = 150) = 3.452, p = .981; Likelihood ratio = 4.951, p = .981; Phi = .871.

Table 6

Chi-square tests for family situation differences in Greek educators’ views on migrant students

Questions	χ2	df	p	%
				Married	Divorced	Single
Migrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but must be in specially formed classrooms.	34.225	12	<.001	53.1	33.2	13.4
I encourage children in the classroom to chat with immigrant students.	56.174	6	<.001	10.9	30.6	71.4
I consider that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.	11.579	4	.210	-	-	-
It is important to have special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class.	3.452	2	.981	-	-	-

Differences in place of residence

A chi-square test was performed for differences in places of residence, and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different place of residence who stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classrooms χ² (4, N = 150) = 21.471, p = .001; Likelihood ratio = 22.372, p = .001; Phi = .451. The Greek teachers who lived in villages (43.8% of them) more frequently considered that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children, but should be in specially formed classrooms, than the Greek teachers who lived in province (37.6% of them) and in cities (32.4% of them).

Another chi-square test was performed, and a statistically significant difference was found between the frequencies of teachers with different place of residence who stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students χ² (6, N = 150) = 26.851, p < .001; Likelihood ratio = 26.945, p < .001; Phi = .393. The Greek teachers who lived in cities (43.9% of them) more frequently stated that they encouraged native students to chat with immigrant students, than teachers who lived in province (30.1% of them) and in villages (20.8% of them).

However, there was not any statistically significant difference between the frequencies of the answers of Greek teachers with different place of residence who stated that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class χ² (4, N = 150) = 12.372, p = .135; Likelihood ratio = 10.730, p = .217; Phi =.304, neither between the frequencies of the answers of Greek teachers with different place of residence who stated that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class χ² (4, N = 150) = 9.198, p = .239; Likelihood ratio = 10.846, p = .239; Phi = .396 (Table 7).

Table 7

Chi-square tests for differences in the place of residence in Greek educators’ views on migrant students

Questions	χ2	df	p	%
				Village	Province	City
Migrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but must be in specially formed classrooms.	21.471	4	.001	43.8	37.6	32.4
I encourage children in the classroom to chat with immigrant students.	26.851	6	<.001	20.8	30.1	43.9
I consider that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class.	12.372	4	.135	-	-	-
It is important to have special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class.	9.198	4	.239	-	-	-

Discussion

Based on this research, it was found that most of the studied teachers had mainly positive views on migrant students. More than half of the sample stated that immigrant children should not be in the classroom with the rest of the children but should be in specially formed classes. However, more than half of the sample encouraged very much native students to chat with immigrant students. Also, more teachers considered that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class. It is worth noting that this finding indicates a negative attitude towards immigrant students. Furthermore, most of the sample believed that it was important to have a special educational material in each school to approach the diversity of the intercultural class. The most negative views towards migrant students were expressed overtly by the female Greek teachers, who were 41-60 years old, had postgraduate studies, were in good economic situation, married, and lived in villages. The most positive views towards migrant students were expressed overtly by the male Greek teachers, who were 18-40 years old, had PhD, were in bad economic situation, single, and lived in cities. Finally, the hypotheses were supported as it was found that Greek teachers had mainly positive views towards migrant students, while the socio-demographic characteristics were important factors determining their views.

As regards teachers' opinions on migrant students, several studies have shown that most of the teachers have moderate and positive views, as well as social-demographic characteristics have an essential role to these views (Angelopoulou & Manesis, 2017a; Chrisohoou, 2005; Cummins, 2005). However, as stated above, there is no agreement in the Greek literature on whether teachers' views are clearly positive or clearly negative (Baltatzis & Davelos, 2014; Damanakis, 2005; Milesi, 2006; Pagouni & Karountzou, 2007; Papavasiliou, 2015; Tsokalidou, 2012; Vasiliadis, 2012). According to the research by Angelopoulou and Manesis (2017b), teachers aged less than forty years, seem to be more positive towards intercultural education. In addition, it is very likely that teachers have received moderate and inadequate training in intercultural pedagogy to adopt mainly stereotypical views towards intercultural pedagogy in the school context, as shown by how to address the educational needs of bilingual pupils/students, the intercultural practices they adopt, and their role in the educational process in general (Balabanidou & Pozoukidis, 2010; Boutsiouki, 2018). In particular, the contribution of training in intercultural pedagogy has become important as it is likely to lead them to acquire intercultural information (Leeman & Ledoux, 2003), which facilitates their educational work. Besides, teachers themselves also want to train, among other things, teaching in a multicultural classroom and approaching school diversity (Nikolaou, 2000).

At the same time, teachers must realize the uniqueness of children and include in their practices their special characteristics. It is important to allow their students to be unique and different (Tiedt & Tiedt, 2006). Finally, it is important that the school cooperates with the immigrant child's family, which should be done from the outset in order to create a climate of trust and mutual support. School-family cooperation works positively in self-esteem, performance, and adaptation of the child to the school environment (Angelopoulou & Manesis, 2017b).

Conclusions

School is not just a place where migrant students come into contact with Greek language and education. School is the miniature of a society and therefore school integration extends to social inclusion, which weighs the future of these children. In order to be successful in this integration, both institutional and administrative factors, as well as pedagogical and didactic ones, are needed (Tsokalidou, 2012). It is therefore necessary to educate teachers, as well as to carry out more research on the individual difficulties faced by teachers and students, which are an integral part of the learning and socialization process in which they participate and which they create. As far as concerned the scientific contributions of this study, this research, with a sample of Greek teachers from all regions of Greece, found that teachers' views on immigrant students were positive, although most teachers considered that immigrant pupils should not exceed a percentage of 30% of pupils in one class. The study also revealed that the most positive views towards migrant students were expressed by the male Greek teachers, who were 18-40 years old, had Ph.D., were in a bad economic situation, single, and lived in cities. Finally, there are some limitations of this research. The sample was small compared to the total number of all Greek teachers, and the Cronbach alpha was not very high. It is suggested in the future to investigate the psychological factors related to the perceptions of teachers towards migrant students, and if burn out and stress of teachers are related to these perceptions.

Funding/Financial Support

The author has no funding to report.

Other Support/Acknowledgement

The author thanks the participants in the research for their cooperation.

Competing Interests

The author has declared that no competing interests exist.

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About the author

Stavroula-Vera Strychnou is a Ph.D. student in Educational and Developmental Psychology at Department of Psychology at South-West University “Neofit Rilski” in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, as well as an educator in Greece.

Corresponding Author's Contact Address

South-West University “Neofit Rilski”

66, Ivan Mihailov,

2700 Blagoevgrad,

Bulgaria

Email: verastrychnou@gmail.com

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