An Investiagation on Adaptation of Afghan Immigrant Students Living in Shiraz City

The schools' environment and educational curriculum are considered to be the most important mechanisms available to increase the cultural adaptation of immigrant students. To this end, an attempt has been made in this study to analyze and clarify the adaptation of Afghan immigrant students. The data of the study was adapted from a survey conducted in Shiraz, in which 380 Afghan students aged 13 to 18 were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. The findings showed that there was a significant relationship between adaptation and the variables of discrimination, satisfaction, sense of belonging to Iran, acceptance of the host community, parental emphasis on indigenous culture, national identity and mother's birthplace. The results of the regression model also showed that the variables of parental emphasis on indigenous culture, national identity, sense of belonging to Iran, satisfaction and mother's place of birth are the main determinants of adaptation. On the basis of the findings, it can be concluded that in line with efforts to reduce discrimination in the school environment, implementing educational programs to help better understanding of the culture of host community and increasing the interaction of immigrants with non-immigrants can contribute to greater adaptation of immigrants.