Abstract

Introduction. Schools play a key socialising role in the life trajectories of children and adolescents. In these institutions, various factors come together that contribute to shaping their identity, as they constitute an interactive sphere of values, beliefs, cultures, relationships and coexistence. Based on an inclusive paradigm, and distancing ourselves from adult-centric approaches, we focused on the experience of migrant adolescents, given their position as a subaltern group and active contributors to the educational community’s dynamics. The study objective was to analyse the educational experiences as well as the inclusion/exclusion dynamics of migrant adolescents in a school context. Methodology. A qualitative methodology with a constructivist approach was developed, designing a case study that rested on in-depth interviews with migrant adolescents. Their countries of origin corresponded to Chile’s emerging migratory flows including Colombia, Venezuela, and Haiti. Results. Based on the field work, the results showed two relevant categories: first, the educational experience of migrant adolescents, mediated by educational insertion and the relationship with school community actors, and second, the participants’ notable coping strategies, oriented towards both integration and the activation of bullying dynamics, ultimately reproducing violence and exclusion. Discussion. Major cultural tensions are clearly present at the schools which hinder the full inclusion of adolescents. The reasons include socio-structural, institutional and situational issues, such as the lack of public policies and protocols to address cultural diversity in schools, as well as monocultural approaches and assimilationist models that prevail today in the educational model. Conclusions. To guarantee the inclusion of migrant adolescents, it is essential to contemplate a public policy that addresses cultural diversity in the educational field. Such a policy should rest on interculturality and involve the various actors of the educational community. It should also be based on advances in the construction of at least three substantive dimensions: institutional, pedagogical and school coexistence management.