Focus group
Migrant and Refugee Students from the Global South at Austrian Universities: A Typology for Targeted Support
Drawing on qualitative data from five focus group discussions (N=23), we developed a typology with migrant and refugee students from the Global South living in Vienna and studying at an Austrian university. Our findings indicate that different levels of support are required, depending on both structural and personal factors that respondents displayed. Structural factors include residence permit, field and level…
2022
Challenges of migrant students in Turkish higher education
Migrant students, including refugees and international students who begin or continue their education in Turkey, encounter several challenges. This study aimed to identify the challenges that migrant students face in the Turkish higher education system. The sample of the study consisted of 75 migrant students from six universities in Turkey in the 2019–2020 academic year. Demographic information of the students…
2022
Professional intercultural communicative competence and labour market integration among highly-educated refugees in the Netherlands [Professionelle interkulturelle Kommunikationskompetenz und die Integration von hochqualifizierten Geflüchteten in den niederländischen Arbeitsmarkt]
In the last decade, thousands of forcibly-displaced people have sought refuge in the Netherlands. Many of them are highly educated, and their integration into the host society's labour market could improve their own quality of life as well as making a significant contribution to the country's economy. However, refugees face many challenges in their search for employment. This is the…
2022
Educational provision for newly arrived unaccompanied sanctuary seekers aged 15–16
Local Authorities in England are rarely able to find a school place for newly arrived unaccompanied sanctuary seekers when the young person arrives in their locality aged 15–16. Criticisms regarding this exclusionary practice are plentiful; that said, it has been argued the dominance of debate regarding access to mainstream education for pupils aged 15–16 obfuscates critical analysis of the educational…
2022
“We would love to, but…”—needs in school integration from the perspective of refugee children, their parents, peers, and school staff
Existing research on the education of refugee children has been conducted in countries with a longstanding tradition of refugee integration. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the integration process of refugee children in Croatian schools. Croatia is a small EU country with limited experience in refugee integration. The phenomenological approach was used to examine the experiences…
2022
School-based support for Syrian refugee pupils in Northern Ireland
Over the past 5 years Northern Ireland has welcomed approximately 1,900 Syrian refugees, including almost 700 school-aged children and young people, through the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (VPRS). Many of these have experienced war and persecution, and a range of additional adversities during and post-migration. Alongside language proficiency, ‘trauma’ has been the most common challenge reported by school staff to…
2021
Promoting the mental health and well-being of first-generation immigrants, asylum seekers and refugee young people in schools: A participatory action research study
Background: There is a dearth of literature that reports on what first-generation immigrants, asylum seekers and refugee young people see as effective self-help tools in matters relating to mental health. Some 50 million first-generation migrant children and young people may have experienced violence, loss and displacement. This can lead to young migrants suffering with negative psychological and social impacts, and…
2021
Skills for transition: the perspectives of women seeking asylum in Ireland
Purpose: Current domestic and international research predominantly examines the past experiences of people seeking asylum and the negative influences such experiences have on health and well-being. However, few studies address the future needs of people seeking asylum, as they transition from Direct Provision. This study aims to address this gap in knowledge by exploring the perspectives of women seeking asylum…
2021
Schools’ and teachers’ roles and challenges in supporting the mental wellbeing of refugee youths: a qualitative study with Swedish teachers
Purpose: Resettled refugee youths are increasingly entering host-country school systems and are at risk of poor mental wellbeing. Schools and teachers are often expected to provide psychosocial support to youths with refugee backgrounds, but the teachers’ views on this expectation are poorly understood. We investigated the question: What do Swedish teachers believe is the role of (1) schools and (2)…
2021
Refugees in the Educational System: Views of Turk and Refugee Students
One of the most important topics in the field of education is refugee education as a result of the rapid increase in refugee numbers in recent periods in Turkey. The aim of this research is to investigate opinions of refugees and Turkish students about education given to refugees in Turkey. The basic assumption of the study is that the characteristics…
2021
How a School Setting Can Generate Social Capital for Young Refugees: Qualitative Insights from a Folk High School in Denmark
Many of the refugees who have recently arrived in Denmark and other European countries are young people. In order to support refugee youth, it is important to understand how institutions and initiatives in the receiving countries may best facilitate their social inclusion. Drawing on the concept of social capital, this article explores school practices supporting refugees through a qualitative case…
2021
The effects of service-learning on physical education teacher education: A case study on the border between Africa and Europe
Recent studies, supported by the European project Europe Engage – Developing a Culture of Civic Engagement through Service-Learning within Higher Education in Europe, suggest that service-learning (SL) is an effective approach to develop personal and social learning linked to real contexts. This particular case study analyses the perceived effects of an SL programme implemented in Melilla (on the border between Africa…
2021
Let the Right One in: Sports Leaders’ Shared Experiences of Including Refugee Girls and Boys in Sports Clubs
This study investigated how gender and sports capital are expressed in sports leaders’ talk about sports for young people with a refugee background. Empirical data were derived from four focus group interviews representing 21 sports club leaders in Sweden. The leaders defined boys and girls as distinct groups but also as groups within which there are differences. Compared with the…
2020
Rethinking higher education for Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey
Within the Middle East and North Africa region, more than 5,600,000 Syrian refugees are currently registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as seen here https://www.unhcr.org/. Amongst university-aged refugees, only a small fraction (Jordan – 8%, Lebanon – 6%, Turkey – 1%) are currently enrolled in higher education. This paper, based on empirical qualitative research with Syrian refugee youth, is…
2020
‘Sitting on a wobbly chair’: mental health and wellbeing among newcomer pupils in Northern Irish schools
Schools in Northern Ireland (NI) have become increasingly diverse with the numbers of newly arrived migrant pupils more than doubling over the past decade. While studies have shown an increasingly high prevalence of mental health difficulties among young people in NI generally, there is a paucity of research with at risk groups, including members of ethnic minority communities. This paper…
2020
Being a refugee university student in Turkey from the perspective of Syrian female students
The aim of this study is to view higher education opportunities and problems from the point of Syrian female students. The research is designed as a qualitative research conducted with descriptive analysis. Ten volunteer female Syrian university students participated in the study. An interview form, including open-ended questions, was used as a data collection tool. The data was collected by…
2019
Free digital learning for inclusion of migrants and refugees in europe: A qualitative analysis of three types of learning purposes
The increasing number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe places new demands on European education systems. In this context, the role that free digital learning (FDL) could play in fostering inclusion has attracted renewed interest. While the existing literature highlights some general design principles for developing FDL for migrants and refugees, there is little information on the use of…
2018
Adult refugee learners in the Norwegian school system. An exercise in mental contortionism?
Are the aims of competence in Social Studies, LK06 applicable to adult refugee learners? This thesis aims to answer this research problem by investigating how different discourse perspectives interfere in the production of text in the classroom, and how connotations to topic relevant words affect academic achievement. Basil Bernstein’s theory on agent and structure offers the main theoretical framework of…
2017
Free digital learning opportunities for migrants and refugees: An analysis of current initiatives and recommendations for their further use
This is the final report of MOOCs4inclusion project, which was designed and financed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The report summarises the research conducted between July-December 2016 on the efficiency and efficacy of free digital learning (FDL) for the integration, inclusion and further learning of migrants and refugees in Europe and in neighbouring regions in conflict.…
2017
A case study of English-speaking native-born German public school educators' experiences with refugee and immigrant students
Teachers worldwide are adapting to meet educational needs caused by increased immigration. Germany has many immigrant students and ranks high in international education. This case study investigated experiences of English-speaking native-born German educators in Germany’s public primary schools when responding to refugee and immigrant students. Experiences when responding means how educators interact with immigrant students in school settings and perceive…
2017
MOOCs and free digital learning for the inclusion of migrants and refugees: A european policy study
MOOCs and free digital learning (FDL) are among the tools used to respond to the education needs of migrants and refugees in Europe. However, there is little guidance on how to design institutional initiatives and supporting policies in this area. This paper presents the main findings of a study exploring the potential of MOOCs and other FDL offers for the…
2017