Generational cohorts versus national origin: Explaining the educational attainment among children of Latin American immigrants in Spain

Abstract

Over the last 25 years, Spain has experienced a significant increase of Latin American immigrants, which has raised questions about their children’s adaptation process. Yet, there is little evidence on the factors that explain school success or failure among this group. This paper aims to fill this gap by using data from the Longitudinal Study of the Second Generation in Spain (ILSEG is its Spanish acronym). The findings show that the children of Latin American immigrants are more likely to attain lower educational levels than the children of Spanish natives. However, concentrating on the national origin variable risks obscuring some underlying adaptive processes—associated with generational age cohorts—involved in differential educational outcomes among immigrant children. The data analyzed show that Latin American immigrant children born in Spain are likely to attain the same educational levels as their native Spanish peers. This finding highlights the importance of being raised in the host country in easing adaptation to the new society and the school system. The paper concludes with some policy suggestions in the field of education. Instead of treating all child migrants uniformly, public policies should address the specific needs of the target groups, emphasizing later arrivals.