Integrating Refugee Children and Youth: A Scoping Review of English and German Literature

Abstract

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees reports that more than half of the 65 million refugees and displaced people identified worldwide are under the age of 18. For this reason, researchers, practitioners and policymakers need to understand the consequences of forced migration on the integration of refugee children and youth in receiving countries. A first step to do that is to scope out the state of current research on these issues and identify possible gaps. To that end, the article offers a scoping review of peer-reviewed English and German academic articles on refugee children and youth’s integration over a 20-year period. The review finds: little consensus on the definitions of ‘children’ or ‘youth’; most studies focus on girls and boys that are between 12 and 19 years old; there is a focus on refugees landing in developed countries; and there is a lack of longitudinal and quantitative studies.

Design und Umsetzung empirischer Forschung zu geflüchteten Kindern und Jugendlichen: Ein Literaturreview

“…Das Literaturreview basiert auf den Ergebnissen einer systematischen Recherche in ausgewählten Datenbanken und ist auf begutachtete englischsprachige Zeitschriftenbeiträge fokussiert. Die grundsätzlichen Befunde decken sich mit den Erkenntnissen zur deutschsprachigen Literatur (siehe Befunde in Pritchard et al 2019). Die hohe Anzahl der berücksichtigten Beiträge erlaubt in dem hier betrachteten Bereich einen verallgemeinernden Überblick zur Forschungslage.…”

Transition to adulthood of refugee and immigrant children in Canada

“…Similarly, the average age of women at first birth was about 23 years old in 1976, but this increased to 28 years by 2003 (see Beaujot & Kerr, 2007). Because of disruptions in education in their home country, measuring the level of education of refugee children at the time of landing in a new host country is difficult (Pritchard, Maehler, Pötzschke, & Ramos, 2019). However, given the importance of English as an international language, which is commonly taught in educational systems around the world and linked to upper class economic status, it can be a proxy of education.…”

“…refugee children, particularly taking a longitudinal approach (Pritchard, Maehler, Pötzschke, & Ramos, 2019). For these reasons, using the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), this paper examines patterns of adulthood transitions among refugee children in Canada, focusing on the timing of their entrance into the labour market and formation of family through marriage (or common law union) and childbirth, which are markers of their acculturation to their new host society.…”

The feasibility of implementing autism intervention methods in formal education settings welcoming refugee and asylum‐seeking children: A systematic review of the literature

“…As a result, they may struggle to balance their identity between the home and host culture which can hinder adaptation (Cerna, 2019). Because of these multiple transitions, schools may become a site of marginalization for RASC, affecting their identity formation, sense of belonging, and, in turn, educational outcomes (Pritchard et al., 2019). Finally, RASC must attempt to negotiate their entry into these social structures, carrying their cultural wealth, their unique cultural and linguistic background (Yosso, 2005).…”