Experiences of the Polish teachers of primary schools in working with war refugee students from Ukraine – selected problems, limitations and implications for pedagogical practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT The ongoing war in Ukraine has caused that millions of people, mainly women and children, were forced to flee their country. Poland, as a country bordering Ukraine, accepted the most refugees. In consequence, Ukrainian school-age children started studying in Polish schools but preparing Polish primary schools (schools which educate children who are 6/7–15 years of age) to accept such an unimaginable number of Ukrainian students became a challenge. This was due to the fact that Polish teachers of primary schools had no previous experience of working with refugee students. The following article presents the results of the research survey conducted among 359 Polish teachers working in primary schools, the majority of whom were women (91.4%) and men (8,6%), aged 25–60 years. The research using a questionnaire technique was conducted in 4 Polish provinces that accepted the largest number of Ukrainian refugees. The aim of the research was to identify the mechanisms hindering education and integration of Ukrainian refugee students attending primary schools and to obtain information on the assistance activities provided by Polish teachers addressed to the refugee students. The developed conclusions could be used in schools in Poland and other countries.