Belonging in Australian primary schools: how students from refugee backgrounds gain membership

Abstract

ABSTRACT Schools, globally, have experienced an influx of culturally and linguistically diverse students, due to voluntary migration and forced displacement. To respond to the needs of these students, particularly those from refugee backgrounds, schools must understand how these students navigate their pathways to membership and belonging within their new school environments. This study, therefore, examines the experiences of belonging among five children from refugee backgrounds as they articulate, visually and orally, their experiences within their Australian primary schools. This qualitative study captured their experiences through identity texts (e.g. experience drawings) and interviews. By drawing on Bourdieu’s thinking tools of habitus, capital and field, the findings reveal the importance of key social actors (e.g. peers, teachers and translators) and school structures (e.g. policies) in creating a sense of belonging for these students. We argue that accumulating bonding capital, with the support of peers from the same cultural and linguistic background, is key for bridging relationships with teachers and the wider school community. The implications of this study suggest that schools and teachers must ensure that these young people feel visible and heard and that their cultural and linguistic values are reflected within the school practices and structures.