ERIC Number: EJ1103080
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1559-5692
EISSN: N/A
Learning and Teaching with Loss: Meeting the Needs of Refugee Children through Narrative Inquiry
Kovinthan, Thursica
Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v10 n3 p141-155 2016
Providing refugee students with a safe and welcoming classroom environment is critical for school success but largely dependent on teachers' knowledge, values, practices, and attitudes. This qualitative study juxtaposes the experience of one refugee students' experience in the school system and one beginning teachers' experience in working with and meeting the psychosocial and educational needs of refugee students in the classroom. Using narrative inquiry, from the perspective of a refugee student and a beginning teacher, this study identifies themes and key issues related to teaching refugee students. These experiences are compared to the current literature on refugee education to highlight the beliefs and values that teachers bring to their practice. Findings reveal that there are gaps in beginning teachers' knowledge about who refugees are, their experiences, and how best to support them in the classroom. Some teachers also held negative attitudes and perspective of refugee students and failed to develop a nuanced perspective of diversity and multiculturalism. This study also shows how narrative inquiry, in the formal of a personal history account, can be used as tool to surface, challenge, and overcome negative stereotypes, biases, and assertions that prevent teachers from effectively supporting their students.
Descriptors: Refugees, Teacher Attitudes, Cultural Pluralism, Beginning Teachers, Educational Environment, Safety, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Educational Needs, Values, Stereotypes, Student Diversity, Teacher Student Relationship, Preservice Teachers, Family School Relationship, Personal Narratives, Student Attitudes, Self Concept, Foreign Countries, Inquiry
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A