Back to Search Start Over

'What Was Your Home Country Like?' -- Syrian Refugee Youths' Experiences of School Belonging

Authors :
Salam, Zoha
Gajaria, Amy
Wahoush, Olive
Nouvet, Elysee
Source :
Educational and Developmental Psychologist. 2023 40(2):181-189.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Objective: To explore the experiences of how Syrian refugee youth resettled in Canada negotiate and facilitate a sense of belonging within their school environment. Method: Semi-structured interviews in English were conducted with nine Syrian refugee youths aged 16 to 18. The content of the interviews was analysed through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Participants identified a variety of factors which helped them or became hurdles for within this process. Three themes of language proficiency, shared experiences, and school environment were described. Overall, it was apparent that schools with robust policies, such as having trained teachers and language support programmes, were important in facilitating belonging. Peers who were from the same sociocultural background or were migrants themselves often were highlighted as important individuals as they acted as cultural brokers. Conclusion: Syrian refugee youth within this study actively found ways to facilitate belonging within their school environments, even if there was a lack of structural support in the forms of inadequate language programmes or poor school policies. This study's findings also iterate that Syrian refugee youth are active agents in their environments, as they engage in various opportunities to socialize, integrate, and thrive in their new environments.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2059-0776 and 2059-0784
Volume :
40
Issue :
2
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ1391693
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/20590776.2022.2111209