2024
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
Together or separate? Tracing classroom pedagogies of (un)belonging for newcomer migrant pupils in two Austrian schools
Even though receiving newcomer pupils in schools is not a new phenomenon, many education systems grapple with finding adequate schooling arrangements that foster belonging and inclusion. Over the years, policy-makers and school practitioners seem to echo recurring dilemmas in terms of what language support models may promote optimal inclusion, and whether and how to support the language of schooling while…
2024
Ukrainian refugees in Poland: Two schools under one roof—One is offline, the other one online
With the unprecedented refugee crisis in Poland, democratic education is all about designing a thoughtful crisis response. This response, through making public schools more inclusive and responsive to the needs of various learners, can save Poland from developing a tiered and thoroughly unequal system of schooling. We should be wary of technology’s potential to, both, aid and disrupt this process.
2024
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
Hometown conflict and refugees’ integration efforts
How does violence in origin areas affect the educational outcomes of refugees in their destinations? Using administrative panel data, we find that heightened violence in the hometowns of Syrian students leads to improvements in their school outcomes in Türkiye. Turkish language and Math scores of refugee students improve, with larger impacts on Turkish scores. There is no impact on naturalized…
2024
Integrating refugees and migrants into higher education in Portugal? An action research experience in a Portuguese university
This article results from research comprised of fieldwork ethnography, participant observation, collection of life stories, interviews and testimonials of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, living in Portugal. We focus on a particular experience of the research named Living in a Different Culture (LDC), which took place between 2017 and 2019, aimed at participants who shared the goal of becoming university…
2024
Teacher evaluations of interethnic bullying of an Arab student: The role of perceiving refugees as a threat or benefit
Interethnic bullying that targets ethnic minority students has serious consequences for the lives of victimized students. Teachers’ evaluations of the bullying are critical because teacher intervention can stop bullying and improve the adjustment of victimized students. Because the literature has documented partially overlapping biases against people of Arab ethnicity and people with refugee backgrounds, this study investigated whether teachers’ attitudes…
2024
‘They usually look happy.’ Approaches to the adaptation ofUkrainian refugees in Czech schools
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a high number ofUkrainian refugee children came to the Czech Republic, a countrywith little previous experience with refugee schooling. This studyexplored how Czech lower secondary schools in the 2022/2023academic year managed to adapt to Ukrainian refugee students.We collected data from six schools that received high numbers ofUkrainian students; we interviewed principals, teachers,…
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
Imagining a better world: Assessing the immediate and delayed effects of imagined contact on attitudes toward refugees in elementary school
Introduction: Preparing host-society children for contact with refugees coming into their classes poses a new and important challenge for countries with little prior experience in integration. Imagined contact is a prejudice-reduction intervention that can be particularly useful in this context. However, its long-term effects and potential age-related variations in its efficacy among primary school children remain understudied. Methods: This study…
2024
Schooling for refugee children: A social justice perspective informed by children from Syria
Schooling for Refugee Children is a collaboration between five authors who explore their interactions with refugee children displaced from Syria to the Lebanese borders and London. Through a programme of carefully tailored research activities, they analyse the children’s representations of their personal journeys and current circumstances, especially with regard to ongoing schooling. The children’s experiences are expressed through their own…
2024
Europe region quarterly update: Education (January – March 2024)
The report calls attention to challenges encountered by displaced children and youth across Europe and offers recommendations for government and non-government stakeholders to undertake in ensuring sustainable access for young learners who remain out-of-school. Additionally, UNHCR highlights key publications and showcases initiatives undertaken with partners to enhance access to learning.
2024
Conceptualising the art of belonging for young refugees and asylum-seekers: Reflections from England and Sweden
The concept of belonging has grown in prominence in research and policy relating to new arrivals from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. Arguably, belonging is replacing integration and inclusion as the panacea to perceived problems associated with places and societies where new arrivals settle. Belonging is also prominent in the literature about formal and informal educational contexts. This paper problematises the…
2024
Community integration, quality of life, thriving, and mental health among refugees and asylum seekers. A London service provider perspective
Introduction: This article explores how systemic injustices and social inequalities affect refugee and asylum seeker integration, thriving, and mental health in London. This is pertinent as the United Kingdom currently operates a ‘broken’ asylum system with unfair policies and a ‘tough’ immigration rhetoric which makes it extraordinarily difficult for asylum seekers and refugees to achieve community integration, have a good…
2024
Body-voice and improvisation to explore trauma-informed performative pedagogy: Open the door
This chapter explores how the author, using the same training as that of actors and performing artists, explored techniques to promote embodied language learning in her facilitator practice for the Sorgente project. The aim was to create a sense of belonging among a young refugee and migrant group in Dublin, Ireland; the practice was framed with the concept of ‘duty…
2024
Multicultural education and students with special needs: A case study from Greece
Students of different ethnic backgrounds (e.g. refugees, immigrants) who also have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are considered as a ‘high risk’ group within the school context, whereas teachers do not realise how deeply the teaching process is embedded within their students’ own cultures or the stigma or bullying they might face. The aim of the present study was…
2024
Performative language practice and ethical principles in the Sorgente project
This introductory chapter provides some key definitions of the concepts informing the Sorgente study. First, the chapter defines performative language teaching as an embodied pedagogy. Performative language pedagogy is illustrated in terms of its roots, main influences and orientation towards using the arts in language education. Second, it grounds the discussion in contemporary research, exploring the impact of the arts,…
2024
Inclusive education for refugee students from Ukraine — An exploration of differentiated instruction in German schools
Currently, refugee Ukrainian learners are attending German mainstream schools, leading to an even more diverse student population. Given that the German school system is committed to provide inclusive education for all, this study aims to examine how teachers address Ukrainian students learning needs by means of differentiated instruction. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted in which eight elementary…
2024
The use of gamification in the system of social and psychological adaptation of forcibly displaced teenagers from Ukraine: Reflections of the German experience
The article presents its own view on a partial solution to the problem of social and psychological adaptation of teenagers who, as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, have become forced migrants. Based on the conducted social-pedagogical experiment, it was found that social and psychological deafness is typical for forcibly displaced teenagers from Ukraine…
2024
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
Early years curriculum in practice: iACT’s Little Ripples curriculum for emergency contexts
This chapter presents an overview of an innovative early childhood education curriculum that is designed to address the unique needs of children and communities affected by trauma, violence, and displacement. Little Ripples Early Childhood Education program operates in several refugee camps in Chad, Greece, and Tanzania, and in villages located in eastern Cameroon. Little Ripples provides quality, play-based education for…
2024
Agency in silence: The case of unaccompanied Eritrean refugee minors in the Netherlands
Following the so-called refugee crisis, unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) from Eritrea were portrayed negatively in Europe. Although such portrayals are often amplified by media and policy discourses, the main reasons for this negative view were a lack of understanding of URMs’ subjectivities, the institutional silencing process they face in their everyday lives, and the ways they show agency in such…
2024
Zine-making and critical reflection: Portals of shared discovery
This chapter describes the delivery and impacts of a zine workshop delivered to members of the Sorgente project. The Sorgente project utilised multiple arts-based practices in order to investigate the teaching and learning of additional languages with migrants and refugees in Ireland and Italy. The zines emerged as a theme in response to the first research question of the project…
2024
Adult refugees and asylum seekers in university preparation programs: Competing identities and multiple transitions manifested in stigma consciousness and student self-identification
Preparation for university studies is key to enabling adult refugees and asylum seekers to reestablish their educational and professional careers in the host country. While refugees’ transition to higher education (HE) is embedded in multiple transitions regarding social position, educational career, and migration, related identities may compete. We investigate how this is manifested in stigma consciousness and precarious student self-identification…
2024
Psychological and pedagogical aspects of adaptation of displaced Ukrainian children to the educational environment of another country
The sudden and unexpected war in Ukraine led to a large flow of citizens displaced abroad. Almost half of them are preschool-and school-age children. The peculiarities of their adaptation to the educational environment of another country necessitates the study of the main aspects of adaptation in these conditions. The aim is to identify the psychological and pedagogical aspects of adaptation…
2024
Developing intercultural competences of Polish religion teachers in the context of refugees from Ukraine: In theory and practice
The aim of this article is to seek an answer to the following question: Do religion teachers have the opportunity to learn and develop skills in the areas necessary to support refugees from Ukraine? If so, how should this be done? To address the issue, the problem of intercultural relations was first presented in a synthetic manner, based on the…
2024
Examination of the relationship between Syrian refugees’ spiritual level and socio-cultural adaptation
This study aims to examine the relationship between the spirituality level of the Syrian refugees and their sociocultural adaptation and to determine which demographic characteristics these two variables differ according to. The relational survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the research. The Spirituality Scale developed by Şirin, the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale adapted to…
2024
Experiences of the Polish teachers of primary schools in working with war refugee students from Ukraine: Selected problems, limitations and implications for pedagogical practice
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…
2024
Evaluating an applied behavior analysis training package for Ukrainian refugee caregivers of autistic children in the Czech Republic
Russia’s war on Ukraine has displaced millions. For autistic children this resulted in the loss of services based on applied behavior analysis (ABA). To develop a model of culturally competent, high-efficacy, family-centered, and fidelity driven ABA services for displaced Ukrainian families in Czechia, this study piloted a package teaching caregivers to build skills with their autistic children. Using a multiple…
2024
Performative language learning with refugees and migrants: Embodied research and practice in the Sorgente project
This book investigates the use of performative language pedagogy in working with refugees and migrants, exploring performative language teaching as the application of drama, music, dance and storytelling to second language acquisition. Documenting a community-based project - funded by the Irish Research Council and conducted with three groups of refugees and migrants in Ireland and Italy - the book explores…
2024
The effect of health literacy and self-efficacy levels of Syrian refugee university students on quality of life
Aim: According to studies, self-efficacy and health literacy impact Syrian refugees’ quality of life. However, it is unclear how these factors influence quality of life for Syrian university students. This study aims to determine health literacy, self-efficacy, and quality of life for Syrian refugee students and investigate how health literacy and self-efficacy affect quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study…
2024
Inclusion of Ukrainian children with special educational needs (from among displaced people) in the Czech Republic
The article presents the results of a study of the peculiarities and difficulties of educational and social inclusion of Ukrainian children with special educational needs who found protection from the war in the Czech Republic. The sample was formed according to the criteria we defined. The results obtained using a semi-structured interview testify to the social significance of the outlined…
2024
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
The social cohesion dilemma: Theoretical reflections on critical music pedagogy
Critical pedagogy has become a crucial element in managing post-migration societies, especially concerning the social cohesion dilemma that diversity creates. Through an ethnography of critical music pedagogy with refugee youth that emerged from an activist context in the city of Dresden, Germany, this article demonstrates what is at stake for empowerment. Music pedagogy that aspires to be critical remains a…
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
Teacher opinions on problems resulting from individual and cultural differences in the adaptation class of students from different nationalities
Various problems experienced by children of foreign families who immigrated to Turkey from different countries for various reasons have been frequently discussed in learning environments recently. Among these, primary problems such as individual differences, cultural differences and language problems at school come to the fore. PICTES (Supporting the Integration of Syrian Children into the Turkish Education System) project (2016-present) is…
2024
“We try to give a good life to the children”: Refugee parents and ECE professionals experiences of the early childhood education partnership in Norway
Introduction: Children in Europe and Norway grow up in an increasingly culturally diverse society. As of 2022, 20% of children in Norwegian Early Childhood Education (ECE) institutions have a minority background. It is essential for parents and ECE professionals to work together to ensure a good start for these children. The partnership between the ECE institutions and parents is a…
2024
Adult refugees and asylum seekers’ basic need satisfaction and educational success in pre-study programmes in Germany
Host country education can be crucial for the social integration as well as labour market outcomes of refugees and asylum seekers. To meet the same admission criteria for studying at German higher education institutions (HEI) as other international student applicants, refugees and asylum seekers can attend pre-study programmes at preparatory colleges or language centres of HEI. According to the self-determination…
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
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
‘We hold on and have patience’: Perspectives and experiences of migrant fathers in Belgian asylum centres
On arrival in the European Union, most migrants who apply for asylum stay often for extended periods of time in asylum centres, putting parenting practices under pressure. Despite an increased interest in the functioning of migrant families, the perspectives of migrant fathers remain marginalized in practice, policy, and scientific research. Very little is known about how migration impacts fathering practices…
2024
Differences in well-being at school between young students with and without a refugee background
Students with a refugee background are a vulnerable group in education. Adverse experiences and unsafe circumstances that they encounter prior, during and after their flight can place a great burden on their mental health and psychological well-being. Little is known about the psychological well-being of young refugee students in kindergarten and early years of primary school. The current study examined…
2024
Researching educational barriers in participatory real-world labs: Vocational training of refugees in rural counties in Germany
Introduction: As a result of the large-scale arrivals of refugees and migrants, Germany is facing the challenge of providing inclusive education pathways not at least for a successful integration into the labor market. In our research project laeneAs (Ländliche Bildugnsumwelten junger Geflüchteter in der beruflichen Ausbildung/The Rural Educational Environments of Young Refugees in Vocational Training), we focus on educational barriers…
2024
War refugees from Ukraine in Poland: The welfare system in the face of new social challenges
The article describes the experiences of social workers in Poland supporting refugees from Ukraine who came to Poland after the outbreak of the war in February 2022. Social work is a profession that supports vulnerable people in need, including those experiencing war. A social worker is a professional who “can help translate policy into workable projects, help design and evaluate…
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
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
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
Risk and protective factors in the training-employment trajectory of young adult migrants who have left the guardianship system
In recent years, young people's economic and employment possibilities have been compromised, especially in the case of vulnerable populations such as unaccompanied foreign minors who migrate to Spain and enter the guardianship system. The aim of this study was to identify this group's most representative training trajectories, and determine the risk and protective factors involved in their insertion to the…
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
Online schooling and the digital divide: Challenges and opportunities for migrant students’ educational inclusion
This research note presents the key findings of a small-scale, mixed-methods international study which explored the challenges and opportunities of online schooling for the educational inclusion of Newly Arrived Migrant and Refugee Students (NAMRS). The study was conducted in 2022 in England, Germany and the Netherlands and the findings are based on the analysis of the experiences of NAMRS, their…
2024