Refugee and asylum-seeker youths’ experiences of education in Ireland an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

Background: School can play an important protective role in the lives of refugee youth. While a substantial body of research relates risk factors to subsequent psychosocial and educational outcomes for refugee youth, less is known about their experiences of education in countries of resettlement, with no studies in an Irish context.

Aims: This study explored the lived experiences of youth from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds in relation to their education in Ireland. Drawing on a holistic understanding of resilience, the research focused on factors within education which participants viewed as enabling or hindering to their long-term resettlement experiences.

Sample: The study utilised purposive sampling to select participants in accordance with inclusion criteria. Participants were nine post-primary students, aged between 15 and 17 years old, and of first generation refugee or asylum-seeker status. All students arrived in Ireland four or more years ago which allowed for reflection on initial and more recent experiences.

Method: The research utilised a qualitative design and adopted an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in order to gain a deep insight into participant experiences.

Results: Analysis of interview transcripts resulted in the generation of three overall themes which reflect participants’ experiences of education in Ireland - their persistence and perseverance in learning; their perceptions of the policies, supports, and teachers in their schools; as well as an understanding of their lives as a balancing act of which school is only one part.

Conclusions: The findings extend the limited empirical literature on educational experiences of refugee and asylum-seeker youth from their own perspective, particularly within an Irish context. Results are discussed in relation to implications for practice in Educational Psychology as well as wider fields, including training, practice, and policy implications for education. Links to future research are also considered.