Refugee-Background Students in Aotearoa Project
A cross-sector team led by Vivienne Anderson from the University of Otago’s Higher Education Development Centre have gained funding from the NZ Council for Educational Research to carry out a three-year participatory action research (PAR) project with refugee-background young people living in Otago/Southland. The project team will work with the young people to:
- examine how they imagine, experience, navigate and negotiate the secondary-tertiary education border,
- identify strengths-based, student-centred approaches that foster their educational and transition success, and
- develop student-centred transition resources for other young people from refugee backgrounds, and their families and educational institutions.
Since this is a PAR project, students are co-researchers with the research team. Data are generated through research hui (interactive workshops) held during term breaks. In 2020 and 2021, participating students are in Year 12 and 13, and in 2021 and 2022, they will be in their first year of tertiary study. Initially, we used ‘mapping’ as a way of inviting students to reflect on their educational pathways to date and their educational aspirations. In future hui, we will work with the students to identify pathways and relevant information sources based on their aspirations, reflect on alternative possibilities, and re-evaluate aspirations if necessary. The students will work with us to develop creative resources for families, schools and other students and educational institutions, based on their experiences in our project, and personal transition journeys.
The wider research team includes Sayedali Mostolizadeh and Jo Oranje (University of Otago), Amber Fraser-Smith (Otago Polytechnic), Pip Laufiso (Ministry of Education), Angela Watts (Carisbrook School), Jarrah Cooke (NZ Red Cross) and Rachel Rafferty (University of Derby). Monica Cruz and Ala Ghandour provide bilingual support/research assistance.
Click here for the project website.
Team members: Penny Kersahw, Jo Oranje, Viv Anderson, Amber Fraser-Smith, and Ali Mostolizadeh (absent: Jarrah Cooke and Pip Laufiso).
