Exploring the Experiences of High School Syrian Refugee Students with Interrupted Formal Education and their Teachers in ELD Classrooms
Abstract
Exploring the experiences of Syrian refugee Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) and their teachers in English and Literacy Development (ELD) classrooms is an emergent topic of interest in the field of education in Canada. There is a need to understand the ways in which ELD teachers respond to the cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity of Syrian refugee SIFEs and create learning opportunities for those students while supporting them emotionally, socially, and academically. Thus, the aim of this research was to explore the nature of the experiences of high school Syrian refugee SIFEs and their teachers in ELD classrooms in Ontario. The research focused on exploring classroom practices and supportive pedagogies, specifically caring and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) pedagogies enacted in ELD classrooms in two secondary schools in Ontario. Social structures and power relationships reflected in ELD classrooms, in addition to resources and constraints to the implementation of caring and CRT, were also examined. The major research question was What is the nature of the experiences of high school Syrian refugee students with interrupted formal education and their teachers in ELD classrooms in Ontario? The theoretical framework adopted in this exploratory case study drew on critical theory, CRT, and Ethics of Care (EoC). The methods used included semi-structured interviews, documentation, and the researcher’s reflective notes. The analysis revealed the complexity of the nature of Syrian refugee SIFEs’ and their teachers’ experiences in ELD classrooms and the nuances these experiences entail. There was evidence of caring and CRT practices enacted in ELD classrooms. That said, some of the ELD teachers’ instructions still need to reflect their students’ ages, academic levels, and core culture. Power and privileging such as power and hierarchical teacher-student relationships and the dominance of a Western curriculum canon were reflected in ELD classrooms. Resources and constraints to the implementation of caring and CRT were also signaled. Key recommendations included embedding equality and diversity in the ELD curriculum and putting more emphasis on caring and CRT pedagogies. The practical and theoretical recommendations aim to disrupt deficient institutional and classroom practices and emphasize supportive pedagogies in ELD classrooms.