Although many Australian universities have been proactive in responding to students' diverse needs through orientation and support programs, very little is known about programs needed for the successful transition of students from refugee backgrounds into tertiary study. Facilitating the early engagement of students with their studies and campus life is linked to greater student satisfaction, improved retention rates and better educational outcomes. One of the challenges that academics face is the paucity of research on the learning styles and academic needs of African and Middle Eastern students from refugee backgrounds. This paper reports on a needs analysis undertaken with a group of students from refugee backgrounds in Victoria and Western Australia, using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Participants reported that current support systems and programs are inadequate or non-existent and that many feel disadvantaged compared to Australian-born and international students. The article concludes with recommendations on how universities can better respond to the needs of students from refugee backgrounds.
BirmanD.TrickettE.J.VinokurovA. (2002). Acculturation and adaptation of Soviet Jewish Refugee adolescents: Predictors of adjustment across life domains. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(5), 585–607.
2.
BondL.GiddensA.CosentinoA.CookM.HobanP.HaynesA.ScaffidiL.DimovskiM.CiniE.GloverS. (2007). Changing cultures: enhancing mental health and wellbeing of refugee young people through education and training. Promotion and Education, 14(3), 143–149.
BroughM.GormanD.RamirezE.WestobyP. (2003). Young refugees talk about well-being: A qualitative analysis of refugee youth mental health from three States. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 38(2), 193–209.
6.
BrownL.I. (2004). Diversity: The challenge for higher education. Race, ethnicity and education, 7, 21–34.
7.
BurnettA.PeelM. (2001). Health needs of asylum seekers and refugees. British Medical Journal, 322, 544–547.
8.
CassityE.GowG. (2005). Making up for lost time: The experiences of Southern Sudanese young refugees in high schools. Youth Studies Australia, 24(3), 51–55.
9.
CohenL.ManionL.MorrisonK. (2000). Research methods in education (5th ed.). London: RoutledgeFalmer.
10.
DaviesM.WebbE. (2000). Promoting the psychological well-being of refugee children. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 5(4), 541–554.
11.
DenzinN.LincolnY.SmithL.T. (2008). Handbook of critical and indigenous methodologies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
12.
Department of Immigration and Citizenship. (2008). Population Flows, Immigration Aspects 2006–07. Canberra: Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Program Statistics and Monitoring Section.
13.
EarnestJ.de MoriG.TimlerA. (2010). Strategies to enhance the well-being of students from refugee backgrounds in universities in Perth, Western Australia. Refereed report prepared for Healthway, the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation. ISBN 978-0-646-53047-5.
14.
EarnestJ.HousenT.GillieattS. (2007). A new cohort of refugee students in Perth: Challenges for students and educators. Paper presented at the 16th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, University of Western Australia, Perth.
15.
HanassabS. (2006). Diversity, international students, and perceived discrimination: Implications for educators and counselors. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(2), 157–172.
16.
HintonR.EarnestJ. (2010). Stressors, coping and social support among women in Papua New Guinea. Qualitative Health Research, 20(2), 224–238.
17.
JoyceA.EarnestJ.de MoriG.SilvagniG. (2010). The experiences of students from refugee backgrounds at universities: Reflections on the social, emotional and practical challenges. Journal of Refugee Studies. Retrieved from doi:10.1093/jrs/feq001
18.
KrauseK.L.HartleyR.JamesR.McInnisC. (2005). The first year experience in Australian universities: Findings from a decade of national studies. Melbourne: Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne.
19.
LaceyN.LuffD. (2001). Trent focus for research and development in primary health care: An introduction to qualitative data analysis. Sheffield, UK: Trent Focus Group.
20.
LiamputtongP.EzzyD. (2005). Qualitative research methods (2nd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
21.
LoizosP. (2002). Misconceiving refugees? In PapadopoulosR.K. (Ed.), Therapeutic care for refugees. No place like home (pp. 41–56). London: Karnac.
22.
LustigS.Kia-KeatingM.KnightW. GrantGeltmanP.EllisH.KinzieJ.D.. (2004). Review of child and adolescent refugee mental health. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 24–37.
NeuendorfK. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
25.
NorthedgeA. (2003). Rethinking teaching in the context of diversity. Teaching in Higher Education, 8(1), 17–32.
26.
OlliffL.CouchJ. (2005). Pathways and pitfalls: The journey of refugee young people in and around the education system in Greater Dandenong, Victoria. Youth Studies Australia, 24(3).
27.
PiniB. (2002). Focus groups, feminist research and farm women: Opportunities for empowerment in rural social research. Journal of Rural Studies, 18(2), 339–351.
28.
PopeC.ZieblandS.MaysN. (2000), Qualitative research in health care: Analysing qualitative data. British Medical Journal, 320, 114–116.
29.
ReisH.JuddC. (2000). Handbook of research: Methods in social and personality psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
30.
SidhuR.TaylorS. (2007). Educational provision for refugee children in Australia: Left to chance?Journal of Sociology, 43(3), 283–300.
31.
SilburnJ.EarnestJ.ButcherL.de MoriG. (2010). Learning interactively for engagement (LiFE)—Meeting the pedagogical needs of students from refugee backgrounds. Refereed Report prepared for the Australian Teaching and Learning Council, Canberra, Australia.
32.
TintoV. (2004). Building programs for student success on campus. Paper presented at the 8th Pacific Rim First year in Higher Education Conference, Melbourne.
33.
VoletS. (1999). Learning across cultures: Appropriateness of knowledge transfer. International Journal of Educational Research, 31(7), 625–643.
