Barriers to inclusion of Moroccan students in Spanish schools: A critical qualitative research investigation

Lucía Torres-Zaragoza
University of Seville, Spain

In recent decades, the Muslim population has become one of the largest groups in Western European countries and, thus, in schools. In Spain, particularly, these Muslim students are of Moroccan origin. Education becomes central in fostering inclusion for Muslim migrant students and their families. However, they usually face certain barriers to inclusion regarding their migrant status and their religious identity. This study aims to identify the barriers to inclusion that Moroccan Muslim migrant students and their parents face in their formal educational contexts, from their mother's perspectives. It also explores mothers' proposals to foster this inclusion. Critical qualitative research with a Critical Race Theory approach was adopted. In-depth interviews and a focus group with a total of 14 participants were conducted. There are several barriers to inclusion of Moroccan Muslim migrant students, such as linguistic, socialisation, discrimination, identity and religious obstacles. Mothers also made proposals for improving language support and inclusion. These proposals and the barriers identified are key to develop measures that foster their inclusion, such as policy-making, teacher training, etc. These actions can help these students and their families overcome these obstacles and improve their reality in educational contexts and in the broader Spanish society.
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Author: Mrs Lucía Torres-Zaragoza is a PhD student with a pre-doctoral contract for university professor training in the Faculty of Education Sciences at the University of Seville, Spain. Her research interests focus on structural inequalities and marginalisation towards minority groups in education, as well as inclusive educational practices that can foster social cohesion. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0151-7453 Email: ltorres3@us.es, ltorreza@gmail.com Please cite as: Torres-Zaragoza, L. (2026). Barriers to inclusion of Moroccan students in Spanish schools: A critical qualitative research investigation. Issues in Educational Research, 36(1), 335-353. http://www.iier.org.au/iier36/torres-zaragoza.pdf