Acculturation patterns and education of refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic literature review

Abstract

The global refugee crisis has resulted in the widespread resettlement of forcibly displaced peoples into foreign cultures. These refugees are forced into new and sometimes very different cultures, and thus must undertake the psychological process of acculturation as a result of this resettlement. Research has begun to focus on how host cultures can facilitate this adjustment, and a body a growing evidence suggests that factors related to education can facilitate or hinder this process of acculturation. This systematic literature review synthesized the evidence that has explored patterns in the relationships between the acculturation strategies of refugees and asylum seekers and education-relevant outcomes. We conducted a systematic search across five databases for English language journal articles and dissertations that present evidence on this topic. A meta-synthesis of 19 articles revealed that a majority of the existing research provides evidence for psychological acculturation (increasing identification with the host culture, independent of identification with the home culture) being related to the level of education, school adaption, school attachment, academic achievement, and social/school support. Specifically, we found evidence that relationships exist between positive education-relevant outcomes and both integration and assimilation strategies (although the latter to a lesser degree). Importantly, the research also showed that a lack of identification with the host culture was associated with lower levels of these education-relevant outcomes. These findings suggest that schools and tertiary institutions could play a vital role in the integration of refugee and asylum-seeking students.