Structural Inequality in Refugee Participation in Higher Education

Abstract

Structural inequality is a framework that examines conditions in which groups of people experience unequal opportunities in terms of roles, rights and decision-making compared to others. This research sought to examine whether students from refugee backgrounds faced structural inequalities in their access to higher education. Data regarding the participation of refugee students in higher education between 2011 and 2014 was obtained from the Australian Department of Education and Training. This data was compared with sector averages and those of students from formal equity backgrounds to establish possible structural impediments to university study. Students from refugee backgrounds were found to face both horizontal and vertical inequalities in their access to higher education, as do other equity groups. The experience of refugee students appears to have unique features, however, including gender, age, type of institution accessed and potentially field of study. These barriers may be addressed to some extent by university outreach and support programmes, but more will be required to facilitate full participation in higher education by these students.

Developing a Social Determinants of Learning™ Framework: A Case Study

“… Sorenson (1996) put forth a theory to identify the structural basis of social inequality based on socioeconomic factors. More recently, Naylor and Mifsud (2019) tested the structural inequality theoretical framework to identify different aspects of university culture and activities that may promote perceived inequalities or exclusivity among different groups of students. They hypothesized that students from various backgrounds interact with aspects of a university differently, resulting in different experiences.…”

“…The outer circle identifies different structural aspects of the university environment in which students interact. Potential sources of structural inequalities or equalities within institutional cultures may include faculty, students, curriculum, environment, campus activities, or administration ( Naylor & Mifsud, 2019 ).…”

Refugees and equity policy in Australian higher education

“…Without a sector-wide equity provision, institutional arrangements remain incoherent and insufficient. As a result, refugee-background students continue to face structural barriers in their way to and within HE institutions (Naylor et al 2019). For instance, notwithstanding institutional equity arrangements (see the next section), HE participation and completion rates of African refugee youth remain very low.…”

“…On the other hand, universities should meet expectations of excellent, quality, and graduate outcomes as outlined in the Higher Education Standards Framework (2015) and the PBF (Tehan 2019;Wellings et al 2019). Against the background of this tension, universities use proactive measures to support students who are at risk of disengagement or dropping out (Naylor et al 2019), especially those students who enter the university on special consideration or through alternative pathways. For instance, all institutions included in this study had mentoring support in place to ensure retention and successful completion of students from equity groups.…”

“…Educational attainment is both a marker and a means of refugee integration (Strang and Ager 2010). However, in Australia and globally, refugees have limited level of higher education (HE) participation (Earnest et al 2010;Ferede 2018;Naidoo et al 2018;Stevenson and Baker 2018;Molla 2019Molla , 2020aNaylor et al 2019;Unangst 2019;Jungblut, Vukasovic, and Steinhardt 2020). The United Nations Refugee Agency specifically noted that even though young people (aged between 18 and 24 years) account for a significant portion of the refugee population, as of late 2018, only 3 in 100 refugee youth were enrolled in HE.…”