Focus group
Co-creating and co-producing learning environments in adult education through the World Café method
Introduction: This article analyzes teachers’ efforts in preventing negative social control among newly arrived refugees at a Norwegian Adult Education Center (AEC). As the teachers realized that micro aggressive behavior hindered learning, they aimed for improving the learning environment. The World Café method (WCM) was implemented to change the learning environment in a positive way. Methods: Data was collected by…
2024
‘I need to know what to say when children are crying’: A language needs analysis of Scottish primary educators learning Arabic
This article discusses the language needs analysis which informed the development of a beginner Arabic language course for Scottish primary education staff who work with Arabic-speaking refugee children and families. Interviews and focus group were carried out with: Scottish educators; Arabic-speaking refugee children; and parents/carers. They highlighted the following language needs for the course: (a) language for hospitality; (b) language…
2023
Refugee and migrant children’s views of integration and belonging in school in Ireland–and the role of micro- and meso-level interactions
Schools are chief among the social institutions impacted by migrant flows as key sites of integration and support for migrant children. This article focuses on micro-and meso-level interactions and their importance to experiences of belonging and socio-educational integration for migrant children. It explores outcomes from qualitative research in Ireland conducted as part of a European research project investigating the socio-educational…
2023
Adjusting the teaching process for refugee students from Ukraine. The perspective of Polish teachers
Teaching refugee students in inclusive classrooms is challenging for Polish teachers as the number of these students in schools has dramatically increased. This research aimed to explore Polish teachers’ experiences with adapting their teaching process for these students. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used, and 30 teachers participated in six focus group interviews. Two themes were identified in the analysis:…
2023
Recognising the newcomer: Education policy and teaching practices in Norway and England
Education policies in different countries recognise the needs and abilities of newcomer students in different ways, with consequences for their social inclusion and academic progress at school. We highlight the importance of context to debates around the politics of recognition in newcomer education by drawing on qualitative research in Norwegian and English secondary schools. Taylor’s (1994) political theory of “recognition”…
2023
Language and integration of refugee children: Reflections on delinking and decoloniality
In this contribution we illustrate and discuss the decolonial approach adopted in a research project exploring the potential of including in education a language spoken by children and families from refugee backgrounds. The international project team from Palestine and the UK collaboratively designed a bespoke Levantine Arabic language course for beginners tailored to the needs identified by primary school staff,…
2023
Community garden developed by refugees from Syria — A sanctuary and a space for learning and empowerment
Many refugees from Syria resettled in Denmark experience poor health, lack of social support, and loneliness. The refugee families’ complex social situation led to the development of a social and health-promoting project comprising a series of interventions. Purpose: The present intervention aimed to improve the families’ collaboration and empowerment through jointly developing a community garden using participatory action research. Findings…
2023
Young refugees’ feelings of belonging? Encounters with rural Denmark and northern Norway
This paper investigates how young refugees settled in rural Norway and Denmark experience their new places of residence. We find inspiration in the idea of ‘contradictions of space’ (Kinkaid [2020]. “Re-encountering Lefebvre: Toward a Critical Phenomenology of Social Space.” Society and Space 38 (1): 167–186.) in exploring how young refugees navigate issues in rural life from housing, education, work and…
2024
A national mental health cascade training programme for practitioners supporting unaccompanied minors in Greece
Background: Practitioners who support unaccompanied minors (UAMs) come from different professional backgrounds and often are not appropriately trained to address children’s complex mental health needs. This gap informed a training programme across all accommodation centres in Greece. Methods: The aim of the Train-of-Trainer (ToT) national programme was to upskill trainers from 17 organisations to cascade knowledge. Training was interprofessional, trauma-informed…
2024
Inclusion of Ukrainian schoolchildren seeking refuge from the war into the Czech education system
This paper addresses the inclusion of Ukrainian schoolchildren who were forced to leave their homes because of Russian military aggression. The research is aimed at identifying the specifics of the inclusive process regarding the children of war and analyzing the features that are different compared to traditional approaches to the inclusion of forced migrants. Building upon the results of a…
2024
Welcome culture in German schools: Teachers’ perspectives
The secondary analysis focuses on teachers’ perspectives on welcome culture (Willkommenskultur) in German schools for pupils who have fled from Ukraine. The following research question was pursued: What aspects of the welcome culture become apparent in statements of teachers? Data from five group discussions with individuals from primary and secondary schools and an educational institution in Rhineland-Palatinate were analyzed. Participants…
2024
Making vulnerable groups able to connect socially and digitally — Opportunities and pitfalls
Introduction: This article addresses digital and social inclusion of adults with potential low digital skills. The article presents a case study of how digital learning activities (DLAs) as a service to refugees, immigrants, senior citizens, and young adults neither in education, employment, or training (NEETs), are delivered outside the formal educational system by two libraries and one civic organization in…
2024
Understanding how classroom drama workshops can facilitate social capital for newly arrived migrant and refugee adolescents: Insights from Denmark
Art-based interventions, such as classroom drama workshops (CDWs), increasingly form part of a collection of mental health-promoting activities introduced in school settings. While research points to the potential benefits of CDWs for the mental well-being of refugee and migrant adolescents, the mechanisms to such improvement are less understood. In this article we respond to the need for qualitative evidence of…
2024
The role of school-based creative expression interventions in the aftermath of migration: A qualitative exploration of parents’ and teachers’ perspectives
This study explored supportive relational processes for immigrant children's well-being between peers, teachers, and parents in the development of school-based creative interventions in European multi-ethnic societies. Within the present study, we integrated the perspectives of teachers and parents to broaden the dominant focus on the assessment of individual symptomatology within the existing body of studies of school-based interventions studies. As…
2024
Exploring the impact of teachers’ past migration experience on inclusive education for refugee children
Teachers play a key role in shaping students' experiences in the learning environment. Studies on inclusive education in forced migration contexts, however, rarely examine what determines teachers' positive behaviour and attitudes toward refugee students. This study examines how teachers' past migration and occupational experiences impact their attitudes towards students who arrived through forced migration and whether they rely on teaching…
2023
Refugee and migrant children’s views of integration and belonging in school in Ireland – and the role of micro- and meso-level interactions
Schools are chief among the social institutions impacted by migrant flows as key sites of integration and support for migrant children. This article focuses on micro-and meso-level interactions and their importance to experiences of belonging and socio-educational integration for migrant children. It explores outcomes from qualitative research in Ireland conducted as part of a European research project investigating the socio-educational…
2023
Participation, Leisure and Social Networks as Key Factors in the Inclusion of Young Unaccompanied Migrants
Social participation, leisure activities and the use of social networks could be key factors in the social inclusion of young unaccompanied migrants and their transition to adult life. Thus, relevant aspects are analysed regarding the community bonding that shapes young people's transition to adulthood and the influence the protection system, mainly residential care, exerts on this in Catalonia (Spain). More…
2023
The first stop of transit migrant students on the road to Europe and America: The Turkish education system
There have been forced migrations from one country to another due to wars, conflicts, and various reasons within and among countries. Turkey is a transit point from Asia to Europe. Accordingly, this study sheds light on experiences the refugee students have in the Turkish Education System. Therefore, this study is meant to be based on a qualitative approach as a…
2022
Teachers’ ideological dilemmas: lessons learned from a Language Introduction Program in Sweden
In this qualitative study, we draw on theory and practice in relation to the concepts of fixity and fluidity in language education (i.e. the simultaneity of bounded, named languages; and the need to transcend language boundaries). We use data from focus group interviews to investigate the entangled ideological dilemmas facing four teachers in a Language Introduction Programme in an upper…
2022
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…
2023
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
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
Education and the concept of success
The chapter begins with Gare’s reflections upon the ways in which he is now able to consider a future in his new context and in so doing introduces the concept of success within education provision for refugee children who have very differing start and end points from their peers. The chapter illustrates how success takes on different forms through the…
2020
Education and the growth of belonging
This chapter begins with a further extract from an interview with Gare, which illustrates how he has experienced a sense of belonging as he has built connections within and outside his education provision. The chapter then moves to a portrait of Jasmine Gardens Academy, which offers a rich case study of how one institution works to foster a growing sense…
2020
Education and the search for safety
The chapter opens with an extract from Gare’s story, which illustrates the importance of the concept of safety through education for one refugee child. The chapter then offers a descriptive case study of Larkspur School, focusing on the practices and organisational structures that are in place to help refugee children experience a sense of safety. The case study portrait draws…
2020
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