Educational resilience and experiences of African students with a refugee background in Australian tertiary education

Mupenzi, Alfred

doi:10.22160/22035184/aras-2018-39-2/122-150

Cited by 16 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…We were also mindful of the findings of Mupenzi’s ( 2018 ) research who notes that while it has been common for researchers to highlight the importance of trauma in understanding young refugees’ experience, this approach has its limitations, including minimizing the role of culture, oversimplifying experiences, and pathologizing normal stress responses. He urges us to shift focus and move away from the negative aspects related to being a refugee towards emphasizing positive aspects and resilience in the face of adversity.…”

Section: Method: ‘Inside Voices’—capturing the Experiences And Perspectives Of Refugee Young Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

‘Our Voices Aren’t in Lockdown’—Refugee Young People, Challenges, and Innovation During COVID-19

Couch

Liddy²,

McDougall³

2021

JAYS

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Using data drawn from consultations and interviews with young people from young people of refugee background in Melbourne, Australia, we examine how young people negotiate their lives in the context of settlement, specifically during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We listened to stories about the challenges they faced, and the initiative and actions they took during the lockdown of nine towers in public housing estates of inner Melbourne during June and July of 2020. In this research, we have found that, despite many pre-existing disadvantages, young people of refugee background have responded to the crisis through public health promotion, volunteering, and innovation. The pandemic has highlighted the role that young people play in supporting their families and communities in the settlement/integration process and the added responsibilities young people have assumed in the context of COVID-19. In negotiating these, young people have drawn upon embodied and communal ways of coping. This paper starts with an exploration of refugee young people's narratives about their lives and experiences during the pandemic. We adopt intersectionality as a method and analytical tool to interpret these experiences and the roles in which young people have enacted during this time-as navigators, carers, providers, and innovators. We end by evaluating the policy gaps these reflect and highlight.

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Section: Method: ‘Inside Voices’—capturing the Experiences And Perspectives Of Refugee Young Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

‘Our Voices Aren’t in Lockdown’—Refugee Young People, Challenges, and Innovation During COVID-19

Couch

Liddy²,

McDougall³

2021

JAYS

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“…This loss of employment and income has further aggravated the socioeconomic situation of CALDM/R students, exacerbating the myriad challenges these students already experience and increasing financial hardship. We know that many students have no choice but to combine work with study in order to survive, especially for CALDM/R students who have families to care for, both in their new country and for family stuck in displacement contexts or back home (Mupenzi, 2018). The responsibility to provide remittances for family members is particularly acute for resettled refugees (Morrice, 2013), meaning that in the context where work has likely been cut or jobs lost, the priorities for these students is unlikely to be on their studies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The responsibility to provide remittances for family members is particularly acute for resettled refugees (Morrice, 2013), meaning that in the context where work has likely been cut or jobs lost, the priorities for these students is unlikely to be on their studies. Moreover, financial precarity was already likely to impact on equity students' capacity to purchase devices with microphones and camera or have access to a stable high-speed internet, all of which can impact the quality of student engagement and access to learning materials (Mupenzi, 2018). Against this backdrop, we can clearly identify a research and advocacy agenda: we know very little about how CALDM/R students learn online, with notable exceptions from the literature on distance learning in displacement contexts (for example, Dahya & Dryden-Peterson, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections on COVID-19 and impacts on equitable participation: the case of culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and/or refugee (CALDM/R) students in Australian higher education

Mupenzi

Mude

Baker

2020

Higher Education Research & Development

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“…The majority of recent studies in the field also consider institutionally-created barriers that can impede the success of SRBs within tertiary education (see Chapter 2 for further discussion). Active discrimination and obliviousness to the presence of SRBs on campus from peers and tertiary staff (Mangan & Winter, 2017;Harris & Marlowe, 2011;Mupenzi, 2018;Kong et al, 2016), complex university systems (Bajwa et al, 2017;Harris & Marlowe, 2011;Kong et al, 2016), and a lack of institutional resources and time to adequately address the needs of SRBs (Bajwa et al, 2017;Harris & Marlowe, 2011) have all been identified as potential barriers that may make accessing and completing tertiary education more difficult. While very helpful to understand areas that may need improvement, case studies that provide examples of good practice and support from institutions are few and far between.…”

Section: Research Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The overwhelming consensus within the literature indicates that many RB individuals have high aspirations for themselves in relation to accessing tertiary education within resettlement countries and perceive that a tertiary qualification will positively impact their quality of life (Abamosa, 2015;Gately, 2015;Hannah, 1999;Kanno & Varghese, 2010;Mupenzi, 2018;Naidoo et al, 2018;Perry & Mallozzi, 2011;Shapiro & MacDonald, 2017;Stevenson & Willot, 2007). However, researchers have repeatedly observed that access to tertiary education often remains difficult for SRBs, especially in comparison to their non-RB peers.…”

Section: Access To Tertiary Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Inclusive and Equitable Education for All: Lessons from the experiences of New Zealand refugee background university students

Willette¹

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<p>The ability of education to transform individuals' lives, and by extension those of their communities and societies, is well documented. As such, education is at the heart of the United Nations’ (2015) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), represented by SDG 4, “Quality Education”, which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Tertiary education institutions (TEIs) in particular have been highlighted as critical settings from which SDGs can be better understood and achieved. Although the benefits of tertiary education are well understood, access to, and participation within, TEIs remains unequal for students from marginalized backgrounds, particularly those from refugee backgrounds (RBs). Over the last twenty-five years, research has begun to consider issues relating to access and participation within TEIs for students from refugee backgrounds (SRBs) highlighting numerous barriers that they face. However, very few studies have focused on identifying strengths, capabilities and supports. The experiences of SRBs within the contexts of New Zealand TEIs are vastly understudied. In response to this gap, as well as to the dominance of barrier-focused literature, this thesis considers the experiences of SRBs within New Zealand universities from a strengths-based lens. It seeks to understand what has enhanced the experiences of SRBs, and what can facilitate further positive experiences for them in the future. It answers the primary research question: “What is working well to enhance the experiences of SRBs within New Zealand universities and why?” To answer this question, a transformative research approach using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methodology was taken. Primary data was generated using semi-structured interviews with sixteen undergraduate and postgraduate SRBs at four different New Zealand universities. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. This analysis identifies several targeted provisions and personal strengths that are working well to enhance the experiences of SRBs within New Zealand universities. Comparing these results with the current landscape of targeted provisioning and policy relating to SRBs in TEIs, I argue that existing and future initiatives could be (re)designed to emphasise: social connections, institutional welcome, staff advocacy, financial provisioning, and the resource of family and community. In addition, this study strongly advocates for the designation of SRBs as an equity group within national level policy, in order to mandate all universities to provide targeted provisioning. Overall, this research provides a New Zealand-specific perspective on the growing body of literature centred on the experiences of SRBs within tertiary education. Its strengths-based AI framework offers a unique understanding of how future practice and policy can be developed around what is working well for students. Additionally, its New Zealand context unsettles traditional understandings of where education and development research and initiatives are conducted and implemented.</p>

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Educational resilience and experiences of African students with a refugee background in Australian tertiary education

Cited by 16 publications

References 18 publications

‘Our Voices Aren’t in Lockdown’—Refugee Young People, Challenges, and Innovation During COVID-19

‘Our Voices Aren’t in Lockdown’—Refugee Young People, Challenges, and Innovation During COVID-19

Reflections on COVID-19 and impacts on equitable participation: the case of culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and/or refugee (CALDM/R) students in Australian higher education

Toward Inclusive and Equitable Education for All: Lessons from the experiences of New Zealand refugee background university students

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