Education of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors in UNRWA Schools in Jordan: Risk and Resilience Factors

23rd May 2022 : 12:45 - 14:00

Category: Seminar

Research Group: Quantitative Methods Hub

Speaker: Yousef Khalifa Aleghfeli, Research Officer and Doctoral Student

Location: Online & in-person - Seminar Room D, Department of Education, or via Zoom

Convener: Ariel Lindorff

Audience: Public

Objectives: Educational resilience is the exhibition of positive educational experiences and outcomes despite exposure to risk. It is also the product of a multidimensional interaction between the child and their immediate environment. There is a growing number of unaccompanied refugee minors worldwide seeking asylum and protection. In response, education systems in host countries must deepen their knowledge and engagement with the needs and circumstances of unaccompanied refugee minors. There is still little empirical evidence on the educational resilience of unaccompanied refugee minors.

Methods: The study analyzed the reading skills outcomes of 410 Palestinian refugee minors enrolled at UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) schools in Jordan at age 15 in 2009 (91 of whom are unaccompanied). Using stepwise multilevel regression, this study sought to identify student-level and school-level factors that function as educational resilience correlates for Palestinian refugee minors in Jordan.

Findings: Young age, female gender, high socio-economic status, positive teacher-student relations, and exposure to structuring and scaffolding strategies were associated with higher reading skills among Palestinian unaccompanied refugee minors. Educational and school-based interventions and programs need further elaboration to account for educational resilience correlates specific to this population.

All welcome to join in person.

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