Refugee children are some of the most vulnerable populations in the world. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for refugee children can have positive impacts on child outcomes, however most of the evidence stems from research from high income countries. This paper reports on a critical review, carried out to evaluate what we know about benefits and the quality of ECEC programmes for refugee children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 15 studies were identified, located in refugee camps and resettlement contexts in seven different countries. Whilst acknowledging limitations due to the small number and low rigour of the studies included in this review, the findings indicate benefits of ECEC participation for children across developmental domains, showing particular the potential to support socio-emotional learning and emotional recovery. Findings confirm the challenge of resources for the provision of high-quality refugee ECEC in LMICs, including lack of materials, space, and training and support needs of staff. By bringing together what we learn from the existing research in the field, this review helps to identify successful strategies, that call for play-based approaches, interactions that focus on socio-emotional support and recovery, the engagement of communities and families, and the provision of culturally responsive environments. These findings strengthen the wider knowledge base about the characteristics of ECEC provision which are important for supporting refugee children and families in lower-resource contexts.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most educational institutions switched to online learning as a standard education delivery model. The use of social media has since become an essential and integral component of students’ lives, both as a tool to facilitate learning as well as for social connections. The current study examines the use of social media and its association with depression among newly enrolled first-year university students during the national lockdown. Three hundred and eighty-six (N = 386) participants aged between 19–21 years from one faculty of a public university were recruited online for the study. Self-reports on daily time spent and emotional investment (frequency of visits) on social media were obtained. Depression was assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression Scale. Results from binary logistic regression showed that high levels of investment in a variety of social media activities were associated with symptoms of depression. Compared to the users at the lowest level, students in the higher usage groups had significantly increased odds of depression (AOR = 2.94, 95% CI = 1.22–7.08; AOR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.04–5.94, respectively), even after controlling for all covariates. Total time spent, however, was not found to associate with depression. Additionally, indigenous students from East Malaysia who mostly reside in rural areas recorded a significantly higher odds of experiencing depression during the pandemic (AOR = 3.32, 95% CI = 1.23–8.90, p = .02) compared to the Malays. Given the pervasive use of social media during the COVID-19 lockdown, the findings of the study suggest that educators at higher education institutions can leverage on the ubiquitous use of social media among students to disseminate targeted educational messages regarding mental health.
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