Sociologist Mohammad Hammoud researched how the different educational paradigms shape refugee children's integration and language experiences in Lebanon, Turkey, and Australia. He demonstrates that refugee children’s social integration and language learning are influenced more by school-level factors (like support from teachers and whether they are integrated with local students) than by the country they are in.
Successful integration through support within schools
While different countries (Lebanon, Turkey, and Australia) offer varying levels of legal settlement, the degree to which refugee children felt integrated within the host community was greatly determined by school-level factors such as type of schooling (integrated vs segregated), teacher friendliness, language support, and equity in educational opportunities provided at the school level. Similarly, micro-level factors such as financial struggle, type of dwelling, parents' employment, and neighbourhood segregation were also significant determinants of refugee children's social integration levels.
Foreign Language of Instruction Difficulties
Hammoud focused on how different educational paradigms in emergency versus long-term settings impact the foreign language of instruction difficulties of refugee children. He compared three countries – Lebanon, Turkey, and Australia – each offering distinct types of legal settlements and educational responses to Syrian refugees. He investigated how factors at the individual, school, and policy levels influenced language difficulties among these children. Hammoud found that students' educational aspirations, socioeconomic background, social integration, and years of residence in the host country were significant determinants of refugee children's language difficulties. He also found that school segregation mitigated language of instruction difficulties as it allowed for provisions that were only feasible in segregated schooling shifts. While the duration spent in the host country was more crucial than the type of settlement offered by the host country macro-level factors indirectly impacted refugee students' language difficulties by shaping educational policies, residency, and work legislations, which were direct determinants of language difficulty at the micro and meso levels.
Relationship between social integration and foreign language difficulties
After examining the determinants of refugee children's social integration and language difficulties, Hammoud investigated the relationship between refugee children's social integration and foreign language difficulties by conducting a comparative longitudinal examination between 2018 and 2021 in Lebanon and Australia. Hammoud found that refugees who felt more welcome in the host country faced lower language difficulties, and refugees who faced high language difficulties felt less welcome in their host country. Moreover, the type of schooling (integrated vs. segregated) was a stronger determinant of social integration and language comprehension difficulty than the country of residence.
Improving social integration and foreign language difficulties
The findings have practical implications for policymakers, educators, and NGOs working with refugee children. Hammoud’s findings emphasize that providing supportive, inclusive school environments is crucial for improving the social integration and language skills of refugee students, regardless of the country they are resettled in. In addition, the successful social integration of refugee students in the host country requires comprehensive efforts across multiple levels. It necessitates the creation of inclusive educational environments, inclusive policies, and community-level efforts to foster a sense of belonging while also focusing on reducing language comprehension difficulties among refugee students.
This insight can be particularly relevant for countries currently hosting large numbers of refugees, such as those affected by recent conflicts. Hammoud’s research suggests that schools play a vital role in helping refugee children adapt to new societies, so investing in teacher training, language programs, and inclusive school policies can have immediate benefits for these children and help build more cohesive communities.
More information on the thesis