Warmth and Competence Predict Immigrant Pupils' Social Integration

ABSTRACT The number of children living outside their country of birth has been rising for decades. This trend begs the question as to which immigrant children are likely to struggle with social integration within their host country. According to the stereotype content model, the social integration of immigrants is largely dependent on their perceived warmth and competence. Although broad support for this theoretical framework has been found in adult samples, it has not been applied to the social integration of immigrant children. In this study, I hypothesize that immigrant children low in warmth (as indicated by their self‐reported prosocial behavior, perspective taking, and conversely, their self‐reported impulsivity) and competence (as indicated by whether they receive additional, individualized teacher support in the classroom) report lower perceptions of social integration relative to native children generally, as well as immigrant children high in self‐reported warmth, competence, or both. Using a sample of seventh graders in inclusive schools located in Germany, I highlight the importance of warmth and competence in the school context. These findings offer teachers, counselors, and other school personnel a deeper understanding of the unique challenges facing the social integration of specific subgroups of immigrant pupils at school.