Finding new latent integration patterns in acculturation research

On February 25 Petra Sidler (Doctoral student, National Center of Competence in Research – The Migration-Mobility Nexus and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland) took part in the "Culture matters" research seminar with the report "Finding new latent integration patterns in acculturation research".

The most common definition of “integration” in acculturation research refers to the two-dimensional acculturation attitudes measurement, which focuses on two issues: first, whether immigrants’ maintenance of cultural heritage and, second, whether immigrants’ adoption of majority culture is considered to be of value. By this logic, integration is understood as the condition when immigrants are maintaining their cultural heritage, while also adopting the dominant majority culture. This approach, while valuable, has two limitations for understanding patterns of acculturation attitudes of immigrant and native pupils. What if there exists a wider heterogeneity in patterns of acculturation attitudes that is not adequately measured by the method described above? Additionally, what if we look at integration as something that concerns not only immigrants, but the society as a whole i.e. immigrants, natives, and institutions?