Intercultural values at school and children’s sense of belonging: IMMERSE project results

• School leadership fosters intercultural values, enhancing student belonging. • Cultural diversity in schools reduces the belonging gap for migrant students. • Inclusive school practices promote stronger student connections and well-being. • Intercultural education aligns leadership and teaching for integration success. • Emphasising diversity in curricula strengthens the school community bond. In an increasingly globalised world, fostering inclusivity and a sense of belonging in schools has become a key challenge for educators. The integration of intercultural values in educational institutions is widely recognised as essential for fostering a sense of belonging, particularly among students from migrant backgrounds. However, there is limited research on how school leadership, teacher attitudes, and curriculum content are aligned with intercultural values, and how they affect the sense of belonging among migrant and non-migrant students. This paper examines the role of school leadership around intercultural values and its effect on the sense of belonging of children with both migrant and non-migrant backgrounds. Using a quantitative approach, grounded in a pragmatic research paradigm, the authors analysed data deriving from the IMMERSE project’s socio-educational integration indicators collected in 393 educational centres across six European countries. The sample comprised 164 school principals, 2052 teachers and 24,419 children aged 7 to 18. The authors conducted bifactorial ANOVA. The findings underscore the crucial role of an educational institution’s identity, centred on intercultural values, in fostering a sense of belonging among students, particularly those from migrant backgrounds. Schools that prioritise intercultural education not only enhance students’ connection to the school but also reduce the belonging gap between migrant and non-migrant students. The results are discussed considering the academic literature, and they suggest that there is a need for both principals and teachers to integrate intercultural values in schools, to further reduce the disparity in the sense of belonging between migrant and non-migrant students.