Ethics‐in‐practice in fragile contexts: Research in education for displaced persons, refugees and asylum seekers

As the prevalence of conflict and fragility continue to rise around the world, research is increasingly heralded as a solution. However, current ethical guidelines for working in areas suffering from institutional and social fragility, insecurity or violent conflict have been heavily critiqued as highly abstract; focussed only on data collection; detached from the realities of academia in the Global South; and potentially extractive. This article seeks to respond to that assessment by spotlighting some of the most prevalent challenges researchers face in the pursuit of ethical working practices. It explores the material and epistemic injustices that often shape and underpin research structures and relationships in these contexts. The paper draws on the authors’ experiences of research in conflict-affected and fragile contexts over the last fifteen years and on workshop discussions with researchers based in fragile and conflict-affected contexts conducted in Amman, Bogotá and Dhaka in 2019-2020. The paper works from the premise that achieving ethical research in fragile spaces is not dependent solely on activity at the site of research, but also on decisions made across the entire ecosystem of a research project. It therefore interrogates the full research landscape, from funding models, to research design (including research topics, partnerships, methods, participant selection, and researcher positionality), to dissemination plans and ethical gatekeeping. The paper critically reflects on inequities in the processes of knowledge production about conflict and fragility and the key ethical challenges that researchers encounter. It highlights the need for further guidance, support and accountability to ensure ethical research practices.

Imagine a physician who wants to research options to help her patients lose weight. As a clinical researcher, she may first explore the efficacy of a medication. Not only is there an instrument that accurately collects patient weight but also the link between the intervention (medication) and the outcome (weight) has been established. Her study manipulates the behavior of the physician (what should be prescribed), and the intervention is administered to the patient, who in this case, is a relatively passive recipient.

This Report presents the descriptive statistics and preliminary analysis carried out following the first phase of quantitative and qualitative data collection of the Building Resilience in Conflict through Education (BRiCE) research project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in Niger. Activities were led by the Institute of Development Studies, in partnership with Save the Children, with the Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Bukavu in DRC and with the Save the Children MEAL team in Niger. The objective of the study is to further the understanding of education in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, focusing on four central research questions: RQ.1) Investigating whether, and how, exposure to and experience of violence influence teaching quality and well-being in fragile and conflict-affected contexts; RQ.2) Examining the impact of the Teacher Professional Development and Improving Learning Environments Together components of the BRiCE programme on teachers’ quality and well-being in fragile contexts; RQ.3) Examining how teaching quality and well-being influence children’s cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes in fragile and conflict-affected countries; RQ.4) Exploring how knowledge developed by teachers in conflict-affected contexts can be used effectively in policy and programming.

Children and young people make up around 50% of the humanitarian refugee intake in Australia and New Zealand (over 13 000 people per year) and are arguably the most vulnerable subgroup. The health needs of refugee children and young people have been well documented and include high rates of preventable conditions and psychosocial morbidity. The primary aim of this policy statement is to advocate for timely and high quality health care for every refugee child and young person living in Australia and New Zealand. It recommends that the following are required in order to deliver the most effective health care to refugee children and young people: (i) health service enhancement, (ii) the promotion of research and the development of an evidence base, (iii) dedicated training, and (iv) professional practice. The recommendations range from interventions that involve government leadership to interventions directed at health services and professionals.

This paper sets the context for questions covered in the Education Sciences Special Issue: Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research: What are appropriate ethical appraisal and approval practices for particular contexts? How can ethics committees effectively support educational researchers and educational research? To do so, the paper argues for a democratising of ethical regulation and practice in educational research, which includes the decolonization agenda, to break away from enduring power imbalances in knowledge production. A key focus is on the regulation of educational research through ethics committees (whether institutional, regional and/or national) and how this affects research practice. While intended to help researchers to protect and benefit potential research participants, ethics committees themselves can have an important part to play in recognizing and removing barriers to inclusivity, as well as in erecting them, to maximise the benefits of educational research. To overturn the dominance of global North knowledge, for post-colonial research ethics regulation, broader conversations of researcher values and experiences in different parts of the world are needed. This paper explores how ethics committees’ expectations do and could shape researcher decision-making. It presents examples of approaches to ethical appraisal which would support empowerment and participation, not only for gatekeepers and participants but also for the research community, whether experienced researcher, ethics committee member or neophyte researcher. Evidence of ethical research practice which paves the way forward is drawn from a range of contexts to help acknowledge the enduring and wide-ranging impact of colonialism, neo-liberalism and neo-imperialism.

Background A number of refugees and asylum seekers have increased dramatically in recent years. More than 250 million people worldwide are considered as refugees (United Nations High Commission for Refugees, 2018), among whom more than 50% are children. General health and especially psychological health of the refugee and asylum seeking children are an emerging, however, not well explored issues. In this study, we aimed to review the literature on the psychological health of refugee children. Methods We performed a literature search and descriptive analysis of studies published until July 2019, through MEDLINE and Science Direct databases. We identified literature on psychological health state of refugee and asylum seeking children. We analysed results of 16 studies. Results The study found that refugee children are facing severe psychological health issues, such as Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, behavioural problems. We identified 3 phases of psychological trauma and stress among refugee children: stress due to conflict in their home countries, stress during migration, and upon the arrival to host country. Our analysis reviled integration difficulties such as racism and bulling as important stress factors for the refugee children. Studies found that prevalence of PTSD is more than 54% among refugee children residing in Norway, significantly higher than in reference population. The studies identified the need of regular mental health assessment and preventive care, psychological counselling services for the refugee children. All included studies showed significantly higher stress among refugee children when compared to local children in host countries. Conclusions Rehabilitation services and follow-up supportive programs should be implemented to improve the mental health status of refugee children; these interventions will also contribute to their better integration. Key messages Screening and regular monitoring provided by host countries healthcare system is crucial to identify high risk children. More research is needed to better investigate the psychological health state and needs of refugee children.

Project-based learning (PBL) has been increasingly recognized as an effective pedagogical approach to fostering 21st-century skills, yet evidence from fragile and resource-constrained contexts remains scarce. This study examined the feasibility, implementation practices, and learning outcomes of PBL in Afghan higher-secondary education. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, four schools (n = 125 students, 8–12 teachers) were purposively selected, with matched classes assigned to either a PBL intervention or traditional instruction. The intervention comprised a 6–8-week PBL unit emphasizing driving questions, milestone scaffolds, and public products, supported by teacher professional development. Quantitative results revealed that students in the PBL group significantly outperformed controls on post-tests after adjusting for baseline scores (F (1,122) = 7.85, p = .006, partial ?² = .06). Rubric-based assessments showed moderate effect sizes for collaboration (d = 0.59), communication (d = 0.52), and critical thinking (d = 0.46), with smaller gains in creativity (d = 0.40). Qualitative findings reinforced these results, highlighting enhanced student engagement, teacher role transformation from lecturer to facilitator, and skill development beyond academic content. However, resource limitations, exam-focused curricula, and parental concerns emerged as significant constraints. Integrating both data strands demonstrated strong convergence between quantitative outcomes and participant experiences, underscoring the potential of PBL to advance essential competencies under challenging conditions. The study contributes to extending PBL scholarship into fragile contexts, emphasizing the mediating role of scaffolding and contextual adaptation. Policy implications include integrating PBL-compatible assessments into national curricula, strengthening teacher professional development, and providing low-cost material supports. Despite limitations related to sample size, duration, and generalizability, this study offers actionable insights for improving Afghan secondary education and advancing regional discourse on innovative pedagogy.

Article 22 guarantees the substantive application of all Convention rights to the particular situation of asylum seeking and refugee children, and also guarantees them protection and assistance in advancing their immigration and residency status claims and in overcoming the hurdles posed by international migration channels, including guarantees of due process. The rights of refugee and asylum-seeking children can be analyzed in relation to four essential attributes. First of all, Article 22 insists upon appropriate protection and humanitarian assistance. Refugee children are not granted a special status under the Convention, but they are not given any lesser status. They are to be treated as children first and foremost and not as migrants per se, in the sense that national immigration policy cannot trump child rights. The basic rights to education, health, and child welfare of these children needs to be protected to the same extent, and as much as possible, as children who are nationals of the host country. The second attribute preserves the rights of refugee children not only under the Convention but under all other international human right treaties and humanitarian instruments binding on the relevant States Party. These may include, for many governments, the 1951 Refugee Convention, the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Convention for the Protection of Minors, 1961, among others. A third attribute of Article 22 insists upon the duty to protect and assist refugee children. This entails a clear duty to provide children with appropriate due process rights throughout their asylum and refugee claims procedures, including the child’s right to be heard and participate in all the processes determining the child’s residence or immigration status, border admission, deportation, repatriation, detention, alternative measures, or placement, including best interest determination processes. The fourth and final attribute of Article 22 asserts that two basic principles should guide each activity with the refugee child: the best interests of the child and the principle of family unity.

Previous articleNext article No AccessImpossible Fictions: The Lived Experiences of Women Teachers in KarachiJackie Kirk Jackie Kirk Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 48, Number 4November 2004Special Issue on Global Trends in Comparative Research on Gender and EducationGuest Editors: N'Dri Assié‐Lumumba and Margaret Sutton Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/423360 Views: 105Total views on this site Citations: 22Citations are reported from Crossref © 2004 by the Comparative and International Education Society. 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New approaches to interventions for refugee children.

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Longing for Stillness: The Forced Movement of Asylum Seekers

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Researching in fragile contexts: Exploring and responding to layered responsibility for researcher care