In the present study, we investigated parenting styles and self-perceived school competence among low-income adolescents in Norway. The purpose of the study was threefold: 1) to identify differences, if any, in self-perceived school competence between low-income ethnic Norwegians and low-income ethnic minorities; 2) to determine differences, if any, in the perception of parenting styles between the groups; and 3) to determine if parenting styles predict self-perceived school competence in the two groups. The sample consisted of 253 adolescents 12-18 years of age; 130 adolescents were ethnic Norwegians, and 123 were from ethnic minorities. Self-perceived school competence was measured using the Scholastic Competence subscale of Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. Perception of parenting style was measured with the following three scales: support, monitoring and neglect. An independent-samples t-test revealed that ethnic minorities reported higher levels of self-perceived school competence than did ethnic Norwegians. No significant difference between the groups in their perception of parenting styles was observed. Support and monitoring were positively correlated with school competence, whereas neglect was negatively correlated with school competence. When all three parenting styles were entered separately into standard multiple regression analyses for the two groups, a high degree of perceived neglect significantly predicted low self-perceived school competence in both groups. This finding indicates how schools and policy makers can explore the types of support that families may need to adopt better upbringing styles.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to summarise and analyse empirical research on protective factors that promote academic resilience in ethnic minority children mainly aged between 13 and 18 years attending schools in the Nordic countries. Design/methodology/approach This paper was opted for a literature review of 23 peer-reviewed quantitative articles published between 1999 and 2014. The analysis entailed protective factors at both the personal and environmental levels in ethnic minority children. Findings Some minority children’s school performance may be just as good if not better than majority children when having similar or even lower socioeconomic status than majority children. Protective factors at the personal level included working hard, having a positive attitude towards school, and having high educational aspirations. Protective factors at the environmental level included supportive school systems, supportive schools, and supportive networks including parental qualities and support. The findings are comparable to the findings outside the Nordic countries with one exception; minority children in the Nordic countries performed better than expected despite socioeconomic disadvantages. Research limitations/implications Protective factors affecting academic resilience need further attention in a time with an increased global migration. Research implications may be related to how schools and policy makers develop supportive school systems, supportive schools, and supportive networks to contribute to making a difference for minority children’s educational opportunities in the Nordic countries. Originality/value Academic resilience is a relatively new research field in the Nordic countries. This review is the first review which has summarised and analysed existing findings on academic resilience in the Nordic countries in minority children.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between poverty, parental socioeconomic status, and adolescent self‐perceived school competence. The study is a prospective cohort study in which the low‐income group consists of 261 adolescents 12–18 years of age whose family income was below the EU poverty line in 2005–2007, whereas the control group consists of 248 adolescents 12–18 years of age whose family income was drawn from all income groups. School competence was assessed from adolescents' self‐reports. This study finds no significant difference in school competence between the low‐income and the control group. However, when splitting the low‐income group into (a) “Norwegian adolescents” and (b) “Immigrant adolescents,” the “Immigrant adolescents” reported school competence similar to the control group. The “Norwegian adolescents” in the low‐income group reported the lowest school competence. To test whether age influences school competence, adjusted linear models were run for the sample when grouped into adolescents 12–15 years and adolescents 16–18 years of age. Among the younger adolescents in the comparison group, having a father with higher education was positively related to school competence. Of those 16–18 years of age, boys in the low‐income group exhibit higher school competence than girls.