Building spaces of hope with refugee and migrant-background students

ABSTRACT

Within the Australian context, research into schooling experiences of refugee and migrant-background students has tended to focus on developing English language proficiency with little attention given to initiatives that contribute more broadly to students’ social and educational resources. Whilst not denying the significance of English language acquisition, this paper explores strategies, implemented at one school, designed to enhance social, cultural and educational outcomes for refugee and migrant-background students. We draw on a relational view of space informed by Foucault and Lefebvre, and Fraser’s theorisation of justice, to explore the school context, connections to students’ life-worlds, moving beyond trauma and teachers as knowledge producers. Findings suggest that contextualised forms of knowing and practices can work to build connections and educational resources for refugee and migrant-background students. Where human spatiality, including as this relates to schools, produces advantages and disadvantages, we conclude in arguing for further research that incorporates the perspectives and voices of refugee and migrant-background students and their teachers.

KEYWORDS:

• Refugee/migrant-background students
• space
• justice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Alison Wrench, PhD is a senior lecturer in health and physical education in the School of Education, University of South Australia. Her research interests include socially critical pedagogies, identity work and gender issues related to HPE. Recent research investigated pedagogical redesigns for enhancing learning and engagement for marginalised students.

Hannah Soong, PhD is a lecturer in the School of Education, University of South Australia. Her current research interests lie in the sociological study of the transnational mobility through education. She has a specialised interest in effects of social imagination on student mobility, migration and identity studies.

Kathy Paige, PhD is a senior lecturer in science and mathematics education in the School of Education, University of South Australia. Kathy's research interests include pre-service science and mathematics education, education for sustainability (EfS) and place-based education. Current projects include Citizen Science and connecting students from a refugee background to the natural world.

Robyne Garrett, PhD is a senior lecturer in physical education, dance and teaching methodologies in the School of Education at the University of South Australia. Her research interests include, gender, creative and body-based pedagogies, dance and whiteness. Current projects include creative and body-based approaches to maths, socially just pedagogies for disadvantaged students and whiteness investigations of curriculum.

Notes

1 In South Australia, Reception (R) is the first year of formal schooling, 7 is the final year of primary school.