The article titled “How do refugee children experience their new situation in England and Denmark? Implications for educational policy and practice.” was written by Sara Amalie O’Toole Thommessen and Brenda K.Todd.The article explains the research method they plan to use while interviewing children who were refugees in England and Denmark to find the psychosocial factors that they were faced with.
The study found that the main aspects that the refugee in England were challenged with and sought to overcome the transition to the English language and the challenges they faced because of their lack of English knowledge, motivation to succeed instead of letting the comments or actions of others bring them down, and to gain strength through social support and empowerment (O’Toole Thommessen & Todd 228-238).
O’Toole Thommessen & Todd conduced research from individuals who moved to Denmark as a child refugee, and learned that they struggled with the language barrier, gaining strength through social support, for adults to notice or understand the needs of the child and the integration of the two words into one (O’Toole Thommessen & Todd 228-238).
The researchers discovered that the refugee children in England were faced with more racism and stereotypes, which impacted the confidence and mental status of the children (O’Toole Thommessen & Todd 228-238). The biggest issue the researchers discovered for the refugee children who lived in Denmark was the merging of their two words, their home and their life in Denmark, which caused for identity issues and felt like a foreigner in their home country since they were viewed as part Danish (O’Toole Thommessen & Todd 228-238). The most interesting discovery from the research was that in both countries, the refugee children longed for social and educational support (O’Toole Thommessen & Todd 228-238).
The takeaway that was discovered from this study is the need for more support from the community the refugee children live in, as it is sometimes made difficult for them to adjust. The researchers suggested the need for more training on how to handle refugee children to help them better adjust and feel supported. The researchers believe that teachers should receive this training, as the most social interaction and support received is in school. If we took the initiative to support and be there for these children, their transition would be much smoother.
Sources:
O’Toole Thommessen, Sara Amalie, and Brenda K. Todd. “How Do Refugee Children Experience Their New Situation in England and Denmark? Implications for Educational Policy and Practice.” Children & Youth Services Review, vol. 85, Jan. 2018, pp. 228–238. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.12.025.