Elementary Schooling Across Borders: Refugee-Background Children’s Pre- and Post-Migration Experiences

ABSTRACT In response to the ongoing war in Syria, displaced persons fleeing war and persecution transited in neighboring countries before going on to resettle permanently in countries of reception such as Canada. The overall purpose of the study reported on here was to inquire into Syrian refugee background children’s early educational experiences in Syria, in transit countries, and in Canadian elementary schools. There is very limited scholarship on young refugee-background children’s schooling from their own perspectives across contexts, yet elements of these experiences have broader implications for understanding educational gaps and provisions. Theoretically framed by hermeneutics, in this qualitative interpretive inquiry, artistic and interview data were collected from eight Syrian children from refugee backgrounds, their parents, and their teachers over the period of a year. Data were analyzed within the hermeneutic circle following two arcs structuring iterative movement between our preliminary interpretations and interrogations of these understandings. Educational loss, safety, and resources and supports are elaborated as themes across contexts to exemplify assets the participants accrued in spite of adverse circumstances. Implications for constructing inclusive spaces for children from refugee backgrounds enrolled in elementary schools will be discussed.