Refugee Students Research Articles

‘It makes you feel like you’re at home, you’re safe, you’re happy in here’: Enacting culturally responsive and enabling pedagogies with refugee students in a university pathway program

AbstractStudents from refugee backgrounds (thereafter ‘refugee students’) are entering Australian universities in increasing numbers, often via university pathway programs (enabling programs), contributing to the superdiversity in higher education institutions. A growing body of literature acknowledges the academic and socio-cultural challenges faced by these students in higher education. This article draws on the narratives, gained through interviews and focus groups, of 10 refugee students and 15 academic and peer support staff within an enabling program at one Australian university. This study explored the pedagogical approaches used by staff in their teaching and the support offered, and how these approaches were perceived by the refugee students. Academic and peer support staff promoted the use of enabling pedagogies and culturally responsive pedagogies as effective teaching approaches for these students. In line with these pedagogical approaches, we argue that the educational achievements of refugee students can be enhanced when academic and peer support staff are responsive to the educational and socio-cultural experiences of their students in both enabling programs and the wider university.

Integration of displaced students into the culturally and linguistically different school environment

AbstractThe rapid increase in the number of refugees arriving in the last decade and the discussion about the integration of Syrian refugees into Turkish society has received special attention. As an important tool of socialisation in childhood, the educational system and school environment need to be structured using refugee‐friendly and equity‐based methods to meet the needs and expectations of refugee children. Based on the perceptions of school leaders and teachers, this study attempts to understand the challenges faced by Syrian refugee students during their integration into the school environment in Turkey and explore the practices of educators in meeting these challenges. A phenomenological qualitative design explored educators' beliefs, thoughts and experiences regarding the education of Syrian refugee children in Turkish schools. Participants of this research were 21 educators including 4 principals, 3 assistant principals, and 14 teachers working in primary and secondary schools with Syrian refugee students. The results show that Syrian refugee students in Turkey encounter various challenges as they adjust socio‐culturally, psychologically, and academically within the school setting. Although some of the teachers apply culturally relevant methodologies unconsciously, there is a gap in professional training on this. Educators declare the need for more practical and inclusive approaches despite the efforts by the Ministry of National Education. Hence, this study suggests the necessity of targeted training programmes because the purpose is to better equip teachers with effective strategies of integration. Thus, it is recommended that gradual language education and mutual cultural activities are widely applied to make refugee students feel more comfortable and to successfully improve their academic achievement. Context and implications Rationale for the study This research is motivated by the precarious situation of Syrian refugee students residing in Turkey. Why the new findings matter The new findings underline large gaps in culturally responsive pedagogy among educators and call forth the need for all‐round, hands‐on training programmes to better facilitate the academic and socio‐cultural integration of refugee children. The findings also reveal a gap in the familiarity and application of culturally responsive pedagogy among educators, pointing to a need for professional development in this area. Implications for practitioners, researchers and policy makers This paper, therefore, calls for the practical training of practitioners in culturally responsive pedagogy to become more supportive of their refugee students. A call is sent out to the framers of the educational policies, which incorporates comprehensive professional development along with inclusive education policies that address the requirements of refugee children. Building on these findings, researchers might explore systems, strategies, and interventions to effectively integrate displaced students into the classroom. The study thus requires collaborative efforts in the creation of supportive school environments that juxtapose socio‐cultural and academic success for quality education among refugee students.

An Effective Interprofessional Collaboration to Support African Refugee Students' Oral and Written Language and Social Integration

Purpose: Two faculty members collaborated to advance educational equity by providing a summer camp experience to prevent summer learning loss for African refugee students in preschool through high school. Both faculty members educate university students in graduate programs, one for students aiming to become educators of English to Speakers of Other Languages and the other for speech-language pathology students. Method: Speech-language pathology graduate students provided supports for oral and written language within Tier 1 of a multitiered systems of support framework during camp. Interventions were provided within the context of the camp activities, rooted in the constructs of contextualized intervention, implicit learning, and feedback-free learning. The speech-language pathology students collaborated with the faculty members, camp director, community members, and the campers. Results: The speech-language pathology students learned to provide language support in natural environments, analyze writing, recognize strengths and areas for growth in multilingual learners, establish rapport with individuals from cultural and linguistic backgrounds that differ from their own, collaborate with other professionals, and build campers' confidence and self-esteem. The campers expanded their vocabulary, syntactic, and narrative production and developed teamwork, collaboration, and leadership. Conclusions: This program can be a model for others aiming to collaborate to advance educational equity. Speech-language pathologists have an important role in collaborating with colleagues from other disciplines to provide programs for language and literacy support, even when the students do not have underlying language disorder.

Minimal computing in refugee education in Uganda: economies of digital use and non-use, and the right constraints

ABSTRACT Using the Foundations for All (FFA) project as a frame for broader discussions of minimal computing, this paper expores education for displaced populations in Uganda and the role technology has in that education. FFA (2018–2022) was a collaboration designed to develop and implement a blended bridging programme for refugee students to participate in universities in Uganda. This paper explores the role that digital technologies had to play in this project in imagining educational futures predicated on minimalism and the judicious use and non-use of technology. When used, the emphasis on available technology was dominant, as was a pedagogical emphasis on psychosocial support and social justice. Technology seen in this approach is best imagined as facilitating opportunities for contact and care, rather than as the driver of the educational enterprise. Such an approach runs counter to many of the discourses around digital development.

The Process of Constructing an Inter-Korean Identity Reflective of the Two Koreas: North Korean Refugee Students’ Hybrid Identity in South Korea

As of March 2024, 34,121 North Korean refugees reside in South Korea, with 12% enrolled in schools. Despite being automatically granted South Korean citizenship upon arrival, these refugees face social exclusion and marginalization, effectively forming a second class within South Korean society. The 70-year division between the two Koreans has resulted in vastly different lifestyle, making it challenging for North Korean refugees to adapt. This difficulty is compounded by a prejudiced social reception and discrimination toward their North Korean identity. The study aims to explore the daily experiences of North Korean refugees with their newfound South Korean citizenship, employing Straussian grounded theory and semi-structured interviews. The study recruited 17 North Korean refugees, including five with experience in elementary, middle and high schools, and five parents with school-going children. The findings reveal that academic deficits, exacerbated by discrimination and stereotypes linked to their North Korean identity, result in a disparity between their legal citizenship and school participation. In response, North Korean refugee students adopt a strategy of ‘being one of them,’ leveraging ethnic homogeneity to facilitate interactions with their South Korean peers. These interactions enable the formation of supportive networks and foster the development of an inter-Korean identity reflective of both Koreas. The study underscores the critical role of multicultural education in achieving educational equality for North Korean refugee students and advocates for social bridging programs that acknowledge and embrace the differences of refugees. Despite being granted citizenship, they continue to be treated as outsiders within South Korean society.

“Home Is the Mouth of a Shark”: Trauma and the Needs of Students from Refugee Backgrounds from the Perspective of Boundary Spanning Refugee Resettlement Workers

This research project examines the experiences of four individuals working in refugee resettlement and their perspectives on the educational needs of refugee students, given their role as boundary spanners. They also discuss the need for teachers to encourage students to use the Funds of Knowledge in the classroom. Participants discuss their varied experience as professionals in refugee resettlement, with two being refugees and one being an immigrant. This paper (1) explores the stress associated with relocation, (2) delves into the mental health issues faced by individuals from refugee backgrounds, emphasizing trauma, (3) analyzes how inefficiencies and lack of support within the public school system contribute to a stressful and ineffective experience for all parties involved, and (4) highlights the importance of human connection. The implications for future research are also discussed with particular attention paid to the need to actively work with other stakeholders.

Meeting the Needs of the Refugee Students in Your Science Classroom

Meeting the Needs of the Refugee Students in Your Science Classroom

“The schools try, but…”: A holistic perspective on the social adaptation of Ukrainian refugee students in Czech schools

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Czech Republic faced an unprecedented influx of Ukrainian refugees. This study aims to examine the social adaptation of Ukrainian students in Czech schools from a holistic perspective, incorporating the viewpoints of refugee students and their parents, headteachers, and teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these actors from the six lower secondary schools that enrolled the largest influx of Ukrainian refugee students through the 2022/2023 academic year. The analysis included 58 interviews that were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Following Berry's model of acculturation, the findings revealed tension between integration and separation among Ukrainian refugee students. Their social adaptation process was shaped by perceptions of the importance of ethnicity, the methods of acquiring the host country language and to what levels, and the approaches to interactions with Czech classmates. These elements combined to form three types of social adaptation: openness to friendship, utilitarian friendships, and (self-)isolation. Additionally, three teacher approaches (intervening, doubtful, and inattentive non-intervening) and their potential consequences for social adaptation were identified. Practical implications are discussed.

The relationship of the three “As” of adaptation: Acculturation, adjustment, and academic engagement of Ukrainian war refugees in Estonia’s schools

The article reports on a qualitative study of how schools in Estonia were incorporating Ukrainian war refugee students in the spring of 2023. Observations and interviews were conducted in 7 schools with teachers, school administrators, psychological support staff, refugee students in grades 7–12, and their parents. The study found that schools were balancing three overlapping goals: (1) to ensure psychological adjustment of the refugee students by creating a safe, supportive, and welcoming school environment; (2) to provide students with opportunities to learn and be academically successful, and (3) to facilitate acculturation of refugees into Estonian culture and language. These three “A’s”: adjustment, academics, and acculturation were important in all schools in the study. As schools engaged in implementing the three goals, they found that at times they were in conflict with one another, requiring them to prioritize some and de-emphasize others. The Ukrainian secondary school was created specifically for these students and prioritized adjustment but faced challenges motivating students to engage academically and learn the Estonian language. Russian-medium schools provided the easiest access to the academic curriculum in Russian, without the need to acculturate; but students experienced some anti-Ukraine attitudes from peers and teachers. In Estonian-medium schools, students had the best opportunity to learn Estonian but felt socially isolated and were unable to engage with the Estonian-language curriculum. The study highlights the need for schools to balance these different goals and work to resolve contradictions as they arise in their unique context.

South Sudanese Refugee Higher Education Access in Uganda: An Intersectionality Enquiry

This study was guided by the intersectionality theory, originally developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw. According to Crenshaw, the theory assumes that people have multiple biological, social and cultural identity markers that intersect, resulting in experiences of privilege or disadvantage, inclusion or discrimination. However, the theory maintains that marginalized individuals are not homogeneous and they experience discrimination and inclusion in different ways. The intersectionality theory also recognizes power dynamics and how structural, political and representational domains, intersect and produce complex patterns of discrimination, inequality and disadvantage. Ultimately, the intersectionality theory asserts that effective activism and social change require recognizing and addressing the intersections of various forms of oppression, and advocating for justice across multiple fronts. This exposes discrimination and exclusion that would have otherwise gone unnoticed, also giving voice to the disadvantaged and excluded. The study adopted a qualitative approach, an exploratory case study design, and an advocacy/ participatory philosophical lens. Twenty-seven purposively sampled participants took part in the study. They included 12 undergraduates from two private Ugandan universities, 13 government and non-governmental organization (NGO) officials, two officials from public and private universities, all involved in refugee higher education. Data was collected through a literature review, in-depth interviews with key informants and students, and a students’ focus group discussion. The study established that higher education access for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda involves multiple intersectional prohibitive and also supportive factors. The study therefore recommends that through situational analysis and needs assessment, Uganda develops clear objectives, activities and outcomes in the Education Response Plan, to establish the divergent supportive and prohibitive factors and cater for the various refugee student needs. The study also designed the refugee access and resilience (RARE) model to assist in the aforementioned regard

Developing a holistic, rights-based model for the educational inclusion of migrant and refugee students

ABSTRACT Grounded in the universal right to education, this article considers the collective findings of a selection of projects, conducted primarily by researchers from the SIRIUS Policy Network on Migrant Education arguing for a holistic approach to the educational inclusion of Newly Arrived Migrant and Refugee Students (NAMRS). The right to education demands access for all, including NAMRS, to a quality education that meets each individual’s learning needs, and supports and develops their own personal learning pathways. Moreover, a rights-based educational model should empower NAMRS to resist prescribed roles and identities, to define their own past, and liberate their visions of their futures from any constraints associated with their migration, so they can take ownership of the development of their future selves as active citizens of local, national and the global communities. The article sets out a holistic framework for an inclusive educational policy and practice that first considers, and then proposes ways to mitigate, the impact of several barriers to the attainment of this educational aim. Furthermore, the discussion explores the implications of the adoption of such a holistic model to guide educational practice, research and policy making when educating NAMRS.

An ethnographic study of Vietnamese-Ukrainian identity

ABSTRACT Vietnamese Ukrainians are a largely unstudied identity group that has recently attracted attention due to the impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Our study examines Vietnamese-Ukrainian bicultural identity as experienced by 10 university student refugees of the war in 2022–23. Researchers conducted semi-structured ethnographic interviews in which each participant examined identity formation experiences as second-generation Vietnamese Ukrainians. Participants also reflected upon the impacts to ethnic identity self-awareness that resulted from their unexpected return migration to Vietnam as student refugees of war. The cohort of study participants created a tight-knit Vietnamese-Ukrainian return diaspora in an environment conducive to self-reflection and exploration of their ongoing ethnic identity journeys. In our study, we argue that the ethnic identity formation of young Vietnamese Ukrainians relies on the active construction of intercultural personhood as an adaptation to transnational mobility and change.

Examining Programs for Educators in Leadership: A Scoping Review of Strategies to Address Racial Inequities for African Refugee Students in Secondary Education in the U.S.

Examining Programs for Educators in Leadership: A Scoping Review of Strategies to Address Racial Inequities for African Refugee Students in Secondary Education in the U.S.

Perceptions of Ukrainian and Other Refugees among Eighth-Graders in Slovenia: Characteristics of Students towards Inclusion of Refugee Students in Mainstream Schools

Background: There is a lack of empirical data on the school-age population’s attitudes toward refugees. Despite this, the attention being paid to the integration of refugee students in schools worldwide is increasing. Objectives: First, the present study aims to explore the attitudes of eighth-grade students in Slovenia regarding refugees and to investigate whether there are differences in their attitudes based on the geographical areas from where refugees originate. Second, the study also explores the connections between attitudes and some characteristics of students. Methods: The present study is quantitative; sample: 3466 respondents (representative sample; year 2022). Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression are used. Results: Most of the students would be willing to help refugees coming from any country. The students are least willing to help refugees from Syria and Afghanistan or Africa. A high proportion of students express fears about what refugees bring, though these fears are varied. Logistic regression shows that civic knowledge and positive attitudes towards immigrants are significantly and negatively related to students’ opinion that refugee children should study in separate schools, while student socio-economic status (SES) and own immigration status are not. Conclusions: The results call for different approaches to be maintained/introduced in schools for tolerance and reducing prejudices for (certain) groups of immigrants/refugees.

Lifeworld dimensions in language education and the integration of refugee students in Germany: Results from a study with Ukrainian refugees

This paper examines the educational challenges and language acquisition processes of newly immigrated students in Germany, with a focus on children and adolescents who have fled Ukraine. Utilizing qualitative interviews with Ukrainian refugees, the study explores the impact of migration, particularly due to the Russian war against Ukraine, on the language education of these individuals in German as a Second Language settings. The interviews, which were conducted with women who have fled Ukraine, and include their perspectives on familial language practices and educational orientations, reveal the complexities faced by this population in their host country. The paper discusses the implications of experiences of flight, language use within the family, structural changes in educational approaches, and the Ukrainian online schooling in sustaining educational continuity. The findings underscore the need for trauma sensitive, culture informed, and language specific pedagogy, alongside the importance of considering the emotional and psychological wellbeing of refugee students. The paper calls for more nuanced research, and didactic considerations that align with the diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds of refugee students.

Inequitable discourses on refugee students resisted and maintained by educators – the perspective of decontextualisation

ABSTRACT This paper examines discourses that place refugee students in an inequitable position in school. Focussing on decontextualisation – a depoliticising way of seeing education that overlooks contexts – the paper is based on semi-structured interviews with teachers (n = 15) and open questions of a survey data (n = 267) collected from teachers, principals and teacher assistants at the end of 2022 in Finland. After analysing discourses, we found that educators both resisted and maintained the discourse of valuing skills in terms of the starting points/readiness of refugee students and in language hierarchies; the discourse of normality in inclusivity and in behaviour; the discourse of silence in antiracism education for teachers and in addressing racism in students’ peer relations. The paper concludes that decontextualisation is grounded in everyday schooling and fails to recognise the differing intersecting positions and contexts that create inequitable possibilities for different people in society. This paper calls for a continuous systematic effort of antiracism education at all levels, as well as curricular structures that support schools in understanding contexts.

북한이탈청소년의 부정적 생애경험이 학교생활 적응에 미치는 영향

This study aimed to investigate the ways in which North Korean refugee studentsstruggle with adapting to school life due to adverse childhood experiences (ACE). For thispurpose, the study surveyed 194 North Korean refugee students regarding their childhoodadverse experiences and three main factors of school maladjustment: task avoidance behavior,lack of school activity participation, and truancy. The results showed that students whoexperienced four or more types of adverse experiences during childhood exhibited higher ratesof school maladjustment in all three areas compared to those with fewer experiences. Additionally, it was found that students born in third countries and older students facedgreater risks in all three sub-factors of school maladjustment. This research provides importantimplications for preventing or reducing the impact of adverse childhood and other traumaticexperiences among North Korean refugee students.

Sense of belonging among refugee students in Costa Rican classrooms

Sense of belonging among refugee students in Costa Rican classrooms

Culturally responsive teaching, teacher-student relationship and school belongingness: A multi-informant study in ethnically diverse classrooms

Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) and close teacher-student relationships can promote students' school belongingness, which might be especially important for immigrant and refugee students. Yet, there is limited quantitative evidence how CRT is related with teacher-student relationship and school belongingness. This multi-informant cross-sectional study examined how teacher-student relationship is linked with students' school belongingness, and to what extent it mediates the association between teachers' CRT self-efficacy and school belongingness. Participants were N = 134 elementary school students (44.78 % immigrant and refugee) and N = 30 teachers. Teacher-reported conflict and student-reported closeness were negatively correlated. Bivariate correlations showed that student-reported closeness was positively and teacher-reported conflict negatively related with school belongingness. However, only student-reported relationship significantly explained variance in school belongingness. Teacher-student relationship did not mediate the association between CRT and school belongingness. Exploratory analyses showed that teacher-reported conflict was negatively linked to school belongingness only among non-immigrant students. Teachers who felt more efficacious in CRT reported more conflict in the relationship with immigrant and refugee students. Findings corroborate the relevance of teacher-student relationship for students' school belongingness. Furthermore, they suggest that teachers should receive trainings in CRT in order to enhance their relationships especially with immigrant and refugee students.

Assessing polish teachers’ competencies in working with Ukrainian refugee students: A comparative study across different contexts

The rapid influx of refugee students from Ukraine has posed challenges to the education system and teachers in Poland. In the current study, we aimed to determine how teachers in Polish schools, at various stages of education, assess their own competencies to work with Ukrainian refugee students. The sample consisted of 684 teachers who declared that they worked with refugee students from Ukraine. The results indicate that teachers generally rate their professional competencies for working with these students as sufficient, with teachers working in lower primary schools and schools in rural settings assessing them as higher than teachers working in upper-secondary schools and schools in urban settings. Implications for practice are discussed. Implications for practice are discussed.