Abstract

In 2015, the largest refugee crisis since World War II occurred in Europe with a constant increase in the number of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea seeking protection. It is estimated that half of the refugees and asylum seekers are children. In order for these children not to lose opportunities, host countries worked to provide them access to education, both within the refugee camps and the public schools. However, there were cases where the refugee pupils were not welcome. The objective of this research was to measure the attitudes of fifth grade primary school Spanish and Greek pupils towards refugee children. The quantitative method was applied via non-probabilistic (convenience) sampling using a structure questionnaire designed by our scientific team. The sample consisted of 188 Spanish and 120 Greek pupils from the cities of Granada, Spain and Alexandroupolis, Greece. Our results were that the pupils, in general, respect refugee children’s fundamental rights and believe that their arrival can be enriching. In conclusion, the vast majority of respondents demonstrated a positive attitude towards refugee minors. We suggest carrying out psycho-pedagogical intervention in primary education in order to minimize the negative attitudes towards refugee children.