Access & participation
Arrival infrastructures and refugee enrolment in higher education
Refugees enrolling in host country higher education can improve their position in the labour market. However, little is known about the patterns underlying enrolment, and existing studies have only examined explanations at the individual level. This is problematic because opportunities to enrol in education are also dependent upon structural factors, and by ignoring this, studies run the risk of depicting…
2025
Education for late arrivals: Examining education provision for displaced young people arriving in the UK late in the education system
This report presents the ndings from a research study that examined the experiences of displaced young people, aged 13-19, who arrived in the UK late in the education system – referred to as late arrivals. The research study used a mixed methods approach and reected the experiences of more than 400 individuals, predominantly charity, education and local government stakeholders. It…
2024
Report on analysis of out-of-school children in the national population: Türkiye country report
This report on Türkiye highlights significant challenges that remain in access to education for Turkish children despite substantial progress in primary and secondary education. Vulnerable groups, including children with disabilities, those involved in child labour, victims of early and forced marriage, and those affected by migration and refugee crises, face persistent barriers to education. Since 2011, the influx of Syrian…
2024
Experiences of Syrian refugee students in Turkish higher education
This chapter is drawn from an ethnography chronicling the experiences of a group of Syrian young adults enrolled in Turkish universities while under temporary protection status. The author uses excerpts from an in-depth interview with a participant enrolled in Gaziantep University to illustrate different stages that young Syrians go through when entering Turkish tertiary education. These include entering Turkish society,…
2024
A day in the educational life of a teenage refugee in Thessaloniki, Greece
This chapter takes the form of a thought experiment, in which the reader is invited to consider the case of Rasoul, a fictional sixteen-year-old refugee in Thessaloniki, Greece. His narrative acts as an amalgamation of the findings from an observational study seeking to understand why only half of the eligible migrant youth population in Greece is enrolled in post-compulsory education.…
2024
Applied ethnopoetic analysis, poetic inquiry and a practice of vulnerability: uncovering and undoing the vulnerabilities of refugees and asylum seekers seeking access to Higher Education
This paper discusses the experience of four refugee and asylum seekers seeking access to Higher Education. The methodological framework intersects applied ethnopoetic analysis and poetic inquiry, underpinned by Freirean, Translanguaging dialogue. The approach foregrounds participants’ voices to address a structural refusal to recognise the repertoires of multilingual marginalised participants. The paper deals with two types of vulnerability: vulnerability imposed on…
2024
Career aspirations of refugee women in Turkey within the context of higher education
Access to higher education for refugees remains a focal point in discussions concerning human rights. In the aftermath of the Syrian civil war, Türkiye has become a significant host country for forcibly displaced individuals. While the Turkish government has implemented an open-door policy toward refugees, the actual participation of women in higher education and the workforce falls short of anticipated…
2024
Consequences of a welfare benefit reduction for refugee families on children’s school absence and crime
I investigate the effect of lowering welfare benefits for refugees on children's outcomes in Denmark. For identification, I exploit a reform that gave refugees lower benefits if they were granted residency after September 2015. The exact date of residency is plausible random due to the nature of the asylum process. By using Danish register data, I compare children who were…
2024
Lives in limbo: Syrian youth in Turkey
More than a decade since the start of the war in Syria, Turkey is home to almost four million of that country’s displaced citizens. Youth is one of the most vulnerable groups within the refugee population, as they struggle with language and education barriers and demands on them to assimilate while retaining their own culture. Lives in Limbo gives voice…
2024
The language engagement landscape of Ukrainian temporary protection holders in Ireland
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ireland has granted temporary protection to over 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the conflict. In light of this, the current study employs a case study approach to explore the language engagement of six Ukrainian temporary protection holders (UTPHs) living in an Irish city. Using narrative inquiry, the research examines UTPHs' access to language engagement opportunities,…
2024
Education on hold: Addressing barriers to learning among refugee children and youth from Ukraine—Challenges and recommendations
The education of children both within and outside Ukraine has been disrupted for several years. Hundreds of thousands had already been internally displaced since 2014 as a result of the conflict in the eastern regions and Crimea, while the COVID-19 pandemic brought periods of extended school closures, a pivot to online learning and other major disruptions. Since the start of…
2023
Back to school 2023-2024: Report on Education for children displaced by the conflict in Ukraine at the start of the second school year. September 2023
Humanitarian organizations are actively engaged in delivering educational support to children displaced in Ukraine and host countries by the conflict. As Ukraine and host country governments strive to deliver education to all children, it must be recognized that: • humanitarian organizations play a critical role in ensuring that displaced, vulnerable children receive education and psycho-social support integral to their development.…
2023
Enhancing education opportunities: A short assessment on education pathways to the UK for refugees and individuals from forced displacement backgrounds
This report presents the findings of a short study on the opportunities and challenges encountered by refugees and individuals from a forced displacement background in accessing education pathways to the UK and seeks to provide recommendations on improving these complementary pathways. The research for this report was carried out by UNHCR UK between March and August 2023. UNHCR UK interviewed…
2023
Out of school: Assessment on barriers to school enrolment for Ukrainian refugee adolescents in Poland
The „Out of School” report, commissioned by CARE International in Poland, International Rescue Committee, and Save the Children Poland, delves into one of the significant challenges confronting the education system in Poland. Thousands of Ukrainian children and youth are not attending schools, potentially compromising their social and academic development, and hindering their integration into Polish society. One of the key…
2024
“(Maybe) I am going to school-age educare because now I have a residence permit”: Children’s non-access to school-age educare in a Swedish asylum context
Sweden’s school-age educare has been identified as important for children’s access to play and meaningful leisure. However, research has not addressed asylum-seeking children’s access to school-age educare or its potential role in asylum contexts. This article draws on data from a 1-year ethnographic fieldwork with children in a Swedish asylum context and explores asylum-seeking children’s perspectives and experiences in a…
2024
Barriers to higher education in displacement: Experiences of Syrian refugee students in Turkish universities
Many refugee youth aspire to complete higher education in order to pursue personal development, obtain secure employment, facilitate socio-economic integration, and build more stable futures in their new communities. However, they often face intersecting legal, economic, linguistic, psychosocial, and structural barriers to accessing higher education. Based on thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, this chapter examines the experiences of a group…
2023
Navigating constraints, finding freedom: Exploring asylum seekers’ access to urban arrival infrastructures
This paper explores asylum seekers’ experiences of urban arrival infrastructures, illustrating how these provide asylum seekers with opportunities for familiarization with the reception location and its inhabitants. Drawing on two qualitative case studies in Augsburg, Germany, three different subsets of arrival infrastructures emerged as relevant to familiarization; infrastructures for information, for language learning and for social connection. The analysis shows…
2023
(Im)possibilities of parity of participation in school settings in the lives of unaccompanied youth
Despite the rhetoric of inclusion and equal participation, educational practices end up producing social exclusion. In this research, we are interested in practices where outcomes fail to match efforts with respect to students’ opportunities to participate equally. The research was carried out as a focused ethnography with young people who arrived in Finland as unaccompanied asylum-seeking youths. The results show…
2023
Young refugees’ participation in post-compulsory education: Mapping policies, challenges and ways forward in mainland Greece
Little is known about young refugees’ post-compulsory educational trajectories in Greece, despite high numbers of teenagers continuing to arrive and integration policies being implemented. While access to education has been increasing since 2015, enrolment and attendance rates for 15- to 18-year-olds remain low and drop-out rates are high. Based on findings from a doctoral study, this chapter explores the macro-level…
2023
Creating effective mechanisms for refugee support in Lublin (Poland): Experience and prospects
This article explores the challenges and prospects of creating effective mechanisms for supporting refugees in Lublin. The article is devoted to exploring the challenges and opportunities in assisting refugees, with a particular focus on the experience of Poland in supporting Ukrainian refugees who arrived after February 24, 2022. The article begins by providing an overview of the current global refugee…
2023
Geographies of care: The Catholic Church in Poland’s assistance to refugees from Ukraine during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The purpose of the article was to analyze the collected empirical material in the form of in-depth interviews, observations, statistical data, and numerous accounts of the assistance of the Catholic Church in Poland in the first 8 months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The results of the survey revealed that the Catholic Church’s activities and support to Ukrainians were carried…
2023
Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest: Integration, obstacles, and future plans
The war in Ukraine has multiple consequences, including a considerable number of people fleeing from conflict zones, becoming refugees. For the countries in proximity to Ukraine, including Romania, the main consequence is the transformation into host countries for refugees and, as such, the need to formulate social policies that consider the specific situation of those seeking refuge.. In this context,…
2023
Participation through qualification? De-, dis-, and special qualification of refugee women in the German vocational training system
Vocational qualification is generally regarded as a guarantee for sustainable gainful employment of refugees. Since the increased refugee migration in the year 2015, the field of vocational education and training in Germany has diversified considerably. However, despite high employment ambitions and existing qualification needs, refugee women have, so far, hardly ended up in qualified gainful employment or regular vocational training. This…
2024
Towards a ‘low ambition equilibrium’: Managing refugee aspirations during the integration process in Switzerland
This article explores the role of policy in influencing refugee educational and occupational aspirations and how this translates into promoting or hindering certain integration paths. 29 refugees in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland were interviewed and asked about their educational and occupational aspirations. Three policies were identified as having an important influence on their aspirations formation namely, asylum policy,…
2024
The system of education as an instrument of war in the Russia-instigated Ukrainian crisis
The article examines the impact of the present military conflict in Ukraine on the education of its children. It analyzes the effect of the war on the essential characteristics of education as a human right in four educational settings: on Ukrainian territory, in occupied territory, in reeducation camps in the Russian Federation, and in selected European countries hosting Ukrainian war…
2024
Introduction
The book aims at a thorough investigation of critical dimensions of the socio-economic and labour market trajectories and prospects of young people Not in Employment, Education and Training (NEETs) in disadvantaged areas of the Mediterranean Southern Europe, namely in island, coastal or peripheral regions of Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain. Moreover, it aims at linking youth’s social situation and dynamics…
2024
Keeping refugee children in school and out of work: Evidence from the world’s largest humanitarian cash transfer program
This paper investigates whether unconditional cash transfers can keep refugee children in school and out of work. We raise this question in the unique context of Turkey, which hosts the world's largest refugee population (including 3.6 million Syrians). Refugees in Turkey are supported by the world's largest cash transfer program for refugees, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN). We exploit…
2024
Language learning, gender and education: Understanding the agency and affordances of refugee-background women with emergent literacy
Forced migration can bring adults who have previously been denied formal education and print literacy into contact with highly technological and literacy dependent societies that lack the knowledge and expertise to cater to them as simultaneous learners of language and literacy. As educational disadvantages are often conditioned by gender, many of these learners are also women and mothers who may…
2024
Comparing pre-war and forced Ukrainian migrants in Poland: Challenges for the labour market and prospects for integration
Before full-scale war broke out in 2022, over 1 million Ukrainians resided legally in Poland. Within weeks of Russia's aggression, around 1.5 million new Ukrainian forced migrants had arrived, many of whom remain in Poland. As of September 2023, 970,000 Ukrainian refugees were still in Poland, where they enjoyed temporary protection status. This paper analyses data from a 2022 survey…
2024
Education in exile: Ukrainian refugee students in the schooling system in Poland following the Russian–Ukrainian war
Following the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine since February 2022, Poland adopted institutional solutions and policies to facilitate the inclusion of Ukrainian refugees in the schooling system. We analyse geographical patterns and local determinants of the participation of children and young people from Ukraine in education in Poland. Applying a computer‐based geographic information system and statistical analysis to administrative…
2023
Teachers’ experiences on refugee education and their views on refugees’ social inclusion: Case of Turkey
This study had two aims: first, to reveal the experiences of educators who work with refugee students in Samsun (Turkey); and second, to divulge the views these teachers have on the social inclusion of refugees. The research was designed using a case study approach; 18 individuals participated in the research, who were selected from 12 schools within the criterion sample.…
2023
Building bright futures: What is needed to expand early childhood education and care for Ukraine’s refugee children
Nine out of every 10 refugees arriving in host countries from Ukraine are women and children. Only 1 in 3 of Ukrainian refugee children are enrolled in early childhood education and care services. This emphasizes the need for expanding and strengthening early childhood education systems to ensure sufficient access for all children, and the integration of Ukranian refugee children in…
2023
Building bright futures: How to integrate Ukraine’s refugee children through early childhood education and care
Nine out of every 10 refugees arriving in host countries from Ukraine are women and children. Only 1 in 3 of Ukrainian refugee children are enrolled in early childhood education and care services. This emphasizes the need for expanding and strengthening early childhood education systems to ensure sufficient access for all children, and the integration of Ukranian refugee children in…
2023
Unlocking learning: The use of digital learning to support the education and inclusion of refugees and migrant children in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the number of refugees and migrants arriving in the country has increased from just a few dozen arrivals annually prior to 2017 to 95,000 between 2018 and 2022. This increase has put incredible strain on the country's education systems. This research presents critical findings on the implementation and effectiveness of the Akelius digital learning application in…
2023
Assessing the criteria for equality of the right: Refugees’ higher education from the perspective of human rights [Hak Eşitliğine İlişkin Kriterlerin Değerlendirilmesi: İnsan Hakları Perspektifinden Mültecilerin Yükseköğrenimi]
With the Syrian refugee crisis, the subject of refugees’ access to HE, which was only partially funded owing to donor reluctance, was prominently covered in the news, with concepts such as preventing the lost generation, resilience, reconstructing countries, and education as a human right. With the Ukraine crisis, the issue of supporting the higher education of refugees came to the…
2023
Northern outpost: Chernihiv Polytechnic National University in the conditions of the russia-Ukrainian war
During the full-scale war, educational institutions of Ukraine were at the epicenter of hostilities and suffered from attacks and bombing by the russian army: many schools, colleges, and universities were destroyed or damaged, and tens of thousands of students and teachers became refugees or forced displaced persons, lost their property and housing. Chernihiv Polytechnic National University (CPNU), located in the…
2023
Welcoming refugee children with a moral, rather than merely legal, right to education: Ideas for a cosmopolitan design of education
In this paper, we argue for the moral and not merely the legal right to education for refugee children. National education in many countries is challenged by refugee flows and influx of displaced people. However, there is a tendency to think of refugee flows as isolated events rather than parts of the dynamics of a world society that national education…
2023
Normative, rational, and relational motives in crosscoalition coordination for a VET refugee programme
Shared beliefs are seen as a basis for policy coordination in the literature. Actors sharing beliefs coordinate their activities in order to translate their beliefs into policies. However, the literature shows that actors also coordinate for policy change across such belief coalitions for diverse reasons. Drawing on the literature on incentives in collective action organisations, we systematise these motives. We…
2023
Creative (en)counterspaces: Engineering valuable contact for young refugees via solidarity arts workshops in Thessaloniki, Greece
This article explores the role of non-formal arts education in Thessaloniki, Greece for fostering contact considered valuable by the young refugee community. Drawing on accounts of their daily life, gathered over eight months of ethnographic fieldwork for a project on their post-15 educational participation, the article details how around the city, young refugees (aged 15-25 years) experience conflicted encounters involving…
2023
With a little help from my friends? Acculturation and mental health in Arabic-speaking refugee youth living with their families
Introduction: Refugee youth are often faced with the compounding challenges of heightened exposure to traumatic events and acculturating to a new country during a developmental period when their sense of self is still forming. This study investigated whether refugee youth's acculturation orientation (separation, integration, marginalization, and assimilation) is associated with depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms and aimed to identify additional…
2023
Intergenerational spillover effects of language training for refugees
Children of refugees are among the most economically disadvantaged youth in several European coun-tries. They are more likely to drop out of school and to commit crime. We find that a reform in Denmark in 1999 that expanded language training for adult refugees and was shown to improve their earnings and job market outcomes permanently, also increased lower secondary school…
2023
Child refugee’s social skills and resilience: Moderating effects of time in refugee camp, parental education, and preschool attendance
In this cross-sectional study, we examine the relationship between social skills and resilience and the moderating effects of time spent in a refugee camp, parental education, and schooling on Syrian children who have been forcibly displaced to Turkey. Five hundred and twenty-six preschool-aged children (56.3% female, M-age = 5.79) were recruited to participate in this research. The Turkish version of…
2023
Including the Excluded: Sense-Making and Job Crafting as Drivers of Dialogical Change Management in Italian Universities for Refugees’ Inclusion
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly called to substantiate their impact on society in terms of inclusivity and social sustainability, as prioritized in the pursuit of the "Third Mission" (TM). Today, HEIs are confronted with the demand to ensure refugees' inclusivity. However, how administrative and teaching staff enact such change within the organization to match the TM goals is under-investigated.…
2023
Where do Critical Pedagogy and Language Needs Analysis meet? English as an Additional Language for Adult Refugees and Migrants in Greece: A Case Study
Background. Language classes organized for adult refugees and migrants are heterogeneous. Students in these educational settings differ across a number of various aspects, including language competences, educational background and levels of literacy. Seen through the Critical Pedagogy lens language is considered not simply as a means to express or communicate, but as a product constructed by the ways language learners…
2023
Place of Residence Does Matter for Educational Integration: The Relevance of Spatial Contexts for Refugees’ Transition to VET in Germany
For the mostly young refugees who arrived in Germany around 2015/2016, completing vocational education and training (VET) represents the most promising opportunity for professional and social integration. However, access opportunities to VET are characterized by spatial inequalities: German districts vary considerably according to labour market structure, economic productivity and demographic development, which constitute the supply and demand for training places…
2023