STUDENT-TEACHER RELATIONS OF IMMIGRANT BACKGROUND STUDENTS: INSIGHTS FROM SLOVENIA AND CROATIA

Student-teacher relationships play a critical role in supporting students' academic success and psychological well-being.However, perceptions of these relationships can vary, with students from immigrant backgrounds often at risk for less positive interactions compared to their native peers.Challenges such as language acquisition and cultural adjustment may contribute to these challenges (Ialuna et al., 2024).Positive student-teacher relationships can serve as a key mechanism for immigrant students to adapt to their school environment, fostering inclusion, social engagement, and a sense of school belonging.The ICCS 2022 study provides a valuable framework for exploring the dynamics of student-teacher relationships, particularly through variables related to civic and citizenship education.This paper investigates how predictors such as openness in classroom discussions, influence on school decision-making, and participation in civic activities are associated with student-teacher relationships among students with an immigrant background in Slovenia and Croatia.The study utilizes representative data from the ICCS 2022 cycle of which 21 % of students from Slovenia and 6 % from Croatia reported to have an immigrant background.Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and linear regression models were calculated using RALSA (Mirazchiyski, 2021).The findings reveal both commonalities and differences in the factors predicting student-teacher relationships among immigrant students across the two neighboring countries.Findings are discussed through the view of democratic school and classroom culture with considerations of practical implications.