There is more to it than disadvantage

Sheridan, N. (2011) There is more to it than disadvantage. SERA Conference 2011, Stirling, UK, 24-25 Nov 2011.

Abstract

Based on my PhD project about children of refugee and asylum seeker families in a secondary school in Glasgow (Scotland) this presentation will focus on the space of the English as Additional Language Unit. My research focussed on, what creative learning processes children of refugee and asylum seeker families have access to, and how they utilize social capital to support learning and inclusion. This research project aimed to contribute filling a gap in research about the education of this particular group (Blanco & Takemoto, 2006; Closs et al., 2000; Dobson et al., 2008a; Frondigoun et al., 2007; G. Reynolds, 2008; Rolfe & Metcalf, 2009). I used an ethnographic research approach to explore my research questions. The methods included participant observation, fieldnotes, and conversations. In this presentation I would like to introduce one of the most surprising findings from my research. The refugee children despite their disadvantaged position, sometimes traumatic, experiences and low comprehension of English language demonstrate stronger social and cultural competence than their monolingual peers from socially deprived backgrounds. I will discuss this finding with help of a conceptual model I developed from my data analysis.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Tasler, Dr Nathalie
• Authors: Sheridan, N.
• College/School: University Services > Learning and Teaching Services Division; University Services > Student and Academic Services > Academic Services
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2011 The Author
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with the permission of the author