Methodological diversity as an asset for transition‐focused higher education research with students from refugee backgrounds

Abstract

This paper discusses the methodological and logistical complexities that underpin multi‐method, multi‐sited, multi‐phased research with vulnerable communities. The project on which we draw was a 3‐year Australian government‐funded, longitudinal and cross‐sectional exploration of students from refugee backgrounds (SfRBs) as they moved into, through and out of higher education from three different contexts, educational pathways and localities in Australia. While all students entering and participating in higher education may experience challenges, for SfRBs these are compounded by their linguistic and cultural diversity, instability, possible trauma and disrupted schooling. In the project presented in this article, these complexities and their relationships with transitions to higher education were captured through diverse methods and methodologies at three research sites, including longitudinal research with repeat interviews and cross‐sectional, explorative methods. The opportunities provided by this methodological approach far outweighed the ethical and practical difficulties navigated by each of the research teams. The ‘thick’ data produced through prolonged and repeat engagements with a small cohort of participants at one site were made richer through explorations of differing social and geographical contexts across all three sites. Further, our collective interpretations of the data were made more robust through the reciprocity and reflexivity inherent in ethically researching with (not on) SfRBs and through multiple cross‐site research team interactions.

Social inclusion of refugees into higher education in Norway: A critical analysis of Norwegian higher education and integration policies

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Mental Health of Refugee Children and Youth: Epidemiology, Interventions, and Future Directions

“…Indeed, as suggested by Kirmayer (39), when it comes to refugee populations we face "a failure of imagination on behalf of the psychiatric system" (p. 167). Nevertheless, some examples of promising and innovative multimodal interventions span individual, family, school, and larger social systems of influence on youth mental health (2). Specific to the United States, Project SHIFA (Supporting the Health of Immigrant Families and Adolescents) is a multitiered intervention developed for Somali and Somali Bantu refugee youth and families.…”

Lessons Learnt: Reflections on the ‘Insider-Outsider Divide’ in Working With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in a Participatory Action Research Project

“…Participatory Action Research (PAR), for example, seeks to empower participants by inviting them to be part of the knowledge construction (Merriam et al, 2001) through a process of ‘shared ownership of research projects, community-based analysis of social problems, and an orientation toward community action’ (Kemmis & McTaggart, 2005, p. 273). Liamputtong (2008, p. 15) argues that cross-cultural research demands ‘more emphasis on trust building, reciprocity and rapport’; likewise, Baker et al (2019) advocate a flexible, reciprocal research design undertaken ‘with (not on)’ such vulnerable communities (p. 5). Such an approach rests on the researcher’s commitment to an ongoing cycle of action and critical reflection (MacDonald, 2012).…”