Abstract
Navigating higher education is a process that requires knowledge about various guidelines and receiving support from multiple people. Refugees who are new to this journey face numerous challenges and complications that make their experience a harsh and strenuous one. This chapter highlights some issues refugees face when pursuing higher education. It recounts stories shared by refugees residing in different countries about their experiences in higher education and the obstacles they face. In doing so, it provides higher education organizations and practitioners with an all-inclusive idea about the various factors that impact refugees' access to higher education and raises awareness to the measures that need to be taken to provide refugees with the support they need to make higher education more accessible to them. Calling attention to the problems refugees encounter does not only emphasize the harsh reality they live but also accentuates their resilience and provides a lens that allows others to see what refugees can do and how they can set a role model for those undergoing similar situations.
TopLiterature Review
Nelson Mandela once rightly said, “'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Speech in South Africa, July 16, 2003). Mandela could not have been more accurate because education enables people to learn new things, which in turn allows them to change their lives by providing pathways to success. Considering the opportunities that education provides, it is perceived as a means of survival to refugees. Education equips them with qualifications that are deemed necessary and enables them to feel accepted and included in the new community (Dryden-Peterson, 2010).
Many factors play a role in refugees’ success in higher education. These include their sociopolitical status, financial situation, PTSDs in addition to multiple other factors. However, the socio-emotional factor is by far one of the most crucial elements in their experience as demonstrated by the stories shared hereafter.
Given all these challenges, it is important that we call attention to refugees’ experiences in higher education. Accordingly, this chapter will aim to answer the following questions:
TopTheoretical Framework
Refugees seeking higher education face a plethora of obstacles. These have to do with issues related to the institution, the people, and the environment. To help with framing the problem, it is useful to categorize the issues refugees face using Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological model (1979), which defines five areas that can influence people and their behavior. These include individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Stereotype: The stereotypical view of refugees and language learners is a deficit one of people who are lacking and do not have many capabilities.
Social ecological model: Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological model (1979) defines five areas that can influence people and their behavior. These include the individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and public policy. It considers the interplay between these five factors and how they impact refugee students’ education.
Trauma: This term refers to the negative experience refugees survived before their resettlement and even those they may be experiencing upon resettling.
Equitable learning opportunities: This term refers to refugees’ right to have access to the help and support they need to learn and thrive. These include access to the language, people, services, and educational resources. However, it goes beyond having access to include tailoring and differentiating the support to suit the refugees’ needs.
Language Barrier: This refers to the lack of proficiency in the target language and how that affects refugees’ ability to communicate and impedes their access to various resources.
Narrative: In this chapter, the narratives are the stories shared by refugees about their experiences in higher education.