Mapping the Educational Experiences of Refugee Students (MEERS)

Various community, government and non-government organisations have provided considerable assistance to schools with enrolments of refugee students. Recent studies, however, suggest that not only far more is needed, but that further research is required to gauge refugee students’ experiences of schooling and whether current practice is addressing their needs and those of teachers. This is the aim of the proposed project. Through a detailed qualitative enquiry, it will provide a comprehensive snapshot of the experiences of refugee students in NSW schools together with accumulating accounts of good practice in the area regarding curriculum, pedagogy and wider school programs. This research will be used to inform professional learning materials for NSW teachers building their capacity to support refugee students and their families.

Researchers: Professor Megan Watkins (ICS), Professor Greg Noble (ICS), Dr Alex Wong (ICS)

Funding: New South Wales Teachers’ Federation

Period: 2017–2019

Project report: IT’S COMPLEX! Working with Students of Refugee Backgrounds and their Families in New South Wales Public Schools (opens in a new window) (PDF 2.7MB)

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The Institute for Culture and Society is located in Parramatta, “the place where the eel sets down” in Dharug language,
along the north bank of the Parramatta River. It sits on the traditional lands and waters of the Burramattagal people of the Dharug Nation,
who have been stewards and caretakers of these territories since time immemorial, in what today is referred to as Greater Western Sydney,
one of the most diverse cultural communities in the world and home to the largest number of Indigenous Australians in the country.
The Institute for Culture and Society acknowledges the Dharug, Eora, Dharawal (also referred to as Tharawal)
and Wiradjuri peoples as traditional custodians and Indigenous knowledge-holders, whose storytelling serve
as historical record, a form of teaching and learning, a way to care for Country,
and an expression of Indigenous culture and identity.