Notes
Community organizations
Edmonton Public School system
Key recommendations
1. Provide language support
2. Create a safe and welcoming school environment
3. Enhance peer support
4. Build on children’s coping strategies
5. Establish school-home liaison positions
6. Promote collaboration between teachers and counsellors
Key findings
The seven themes that emerged from the findings were:
(1) Role of Language in Adjustment – insufficient language skills are a barrier to adjustment
(2) Attitudes and Perspectives Towards Education – motivation and engagement in the learning process are important factors that help adjustment
(3) Bonds and Relationships – while most of the child participants’ relationships had a positive impact on their school-related adjustment, others were potentially harmful (when they are discriminatory). Child participants also experienced losses of bonds and relationships due to the conflict in Syria
(4) Initial Frustrations, Anxieties, and Fears – difficulties and frustrations related to the language barrier; going outdoors in the cold weather; being out of one’s comfort zone and an unfamiliarity with classroom activities
(5) Children’s Unique Strategies for Adapting in School – reaching out to others, such as their teachers or peers; using drawing as a means of coping with difficult emotions; using one’s observational skills to learn what to do in challenging or unknown situations
(6) Parental Involvement in the Schooling Process – lacking in-depth information about their children’s schooling experiences to a certain degree; communication between the parents and schools was limited
(7) Role of Personal Qualities in Adjustment – sociability and a supportive nature appeared to be helpful for adjustment, while qualities such as a perfectionistic tendencies and being introverted or withdrawn presented initial obstacles for successful adjustment
Key populations
Syrian refugee children, their mothers, and teachers
Location
Edmonton, Alberta
DOI: 10.7939/R3PG1J453
