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102096 Researching Teaching & Learning 1

Critical Analysis

The diversity in Australian classrooms is growing significantly with one of these diverse
groups being refugees. Refugees are widely disadvantaged in the Australian education
system due to their interrupted schooling and the experiences that they have had to face in
finding asylum. These experiences are individualised and need specific individual attention.
This paper will analyse the importance along side different strategies used to assist young
refugee students integrate into mainstream Australian education. Loshini Naidoo’s (2012)
article ‘Crossing borders in preparing pre-service teachers for literacy teaching in secondary
schools in Greater Western Sydney’ will be compared to Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) article
‘Supporting Refugee Students in Schools: What Constitutes Inclusive Education’. Both articles
were published in 2012, meaning their comparisons should have significant similarities
based on refugees in the Australian education system.

Naidoo’s article (2012) ‘Crossing borders in preparing pre-service teachers for literacy
teaching in secondary schools in Greater Western Sydney’, accentuates the difficulties that
refugee students experience, due to the downfalls of the Australian education system. The
article identifies the influence that pre-service teachers may place in supporting the topic
through the Refugee Action Support (RAS) partnership program. The RAS program is
associated with schools, universities and the wider community and is sanctioned and
maintained by Western Sydney University through its focus on supporting and providing
individualized opportunities for refugee students through accepting their diversity in the
education system. The Australian education system has a ‘one size fits all’ approach to
learning, making it difficult for refugee students to perform academically (Craig, Tait, Boers,
& McAndrew, 2010). This standardized approach supports the idea that the education
system in Australia favours the western culture causing an imbalance in education due to
the westerns “invisibility of whiteness” (Ahmed, 2004). This disparity results in an affected
education for those of non-western descent (Modood, 2007; Swan, 1985).

The ‘one size fits all’ approach is based around treating students equally, however that does
not mean all students are treated with equity (Ferfolja, Diaz, & Ullman, 2015). All students
have different levels of knowledge, literacy and personal development stages (Naidoo,
2012). Brown, Miller & Mitchell (2006) highlight the complexity of academic language in
schools, particularly in secondary schools when they begin to specialize in different subjects.
However, through the RAS program, refugee students receive personal assistance in literacy
and areas they are struggling in to assist them with their individual academic needs. Naidoo
(2012) recognizes the barriers which refugees face to education access, and provides links
through Western Sydney University, to allow refugee students access to mentors and
literacy training. This is incorporated through cultural awareness guidance for both the
refugee students and educators. The strategies used provide preservation of refugee
students in the Australian secondary education system. Naidoo (2012) conducted a case
study with a secondary school and investigates the effectiveness of the RAS program for
teachers and schools, in providing materials and training to teach for a diverse class. The
article discovers the perceptions around the RAS program with pre-service teachers,
teachers, refugee students and schools.

The literature review in Naidoo’s (2012) article draws upon sophisticated research to
provide evidence and support it’s study based on the needs of refugee students in the
classroom. However the literature used fluctuates over a period of 34 years making it
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evident that the research used is not recent and could be outdated. However, a vast
majority of the research was dated between the years 2000 and 2016, making most of its
research relevant to its claims, thus resulting in a majority of reliable data. Naidoo (2012)
draws upon this literature to show the importance providing literacy training for refugee
students. The literature also drew upon the importance of dialogic practice to develop a
further understanding of the content, however Naidoo (2012) highlighted that research was
not present to classify pedagogical approaches to inform teaching and learning (Mattews,
2008). The literature expresses an international study, which could be irrelevant in its use, as
the Australian education system unquestionably varies significantly in content and
curriculum to other international education systems. The study also includes research based
on the National Professional Standards for Teaching, stating that teachers should “know
their students and how they learn”, in regards to standard 1.3 “Students with diverse
linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds” (Australian Institute for
Teaching and School Leadership, 2014). This shows the relevance of the research utilized
and the importance of teaching methods used for different students from diverse
backgrounds, through teachers knowing their students and how they learn best individually.

The study conducted was a qualitative approach, which focuses on understanding,

emancipating and deconstructing the case study, through the involvement of pre-service
teachers, teachers, schools and refugee students (Naidoo, 2012). The RAS program was
assessed based on its influence on learning and the effectiveness of the ongoing support
given to teachers through organised resources from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy
Foundation (ALNF). The RAS program was also assessed through the use of interviews, which
allowed for open questions to be asked about the program, and for constructive feedback to
be given (Gall, Gall & Borg, 2015). These qualitative results were given in the methodologies
section of the article, where they are placed in organised sections of ‘perceptions’ in order
to clearly contrast their answers (Naidoo, 2012).

The perception of the RAS program concluded that the program was successful in addressing
the needs of refugee students, its structure for learning and the inclusion of parents and its
availability of resources (Hill & Taylor, 2004). The head teacher accentuated its success by
stating that refugee students are “largely forgotten” in mainstream classes but RAS is
“empowering those kids we know are gifted and talented but just … lack the language”. The
head teacher also emphasises the importance of parent involvement in the program as they
provide communication, where there may be a language or cultural barriers (Hill & Taylor,
2014). Refugee students emphasised that they developed in their confidence, which allowed
them to also advance in their learning and overall academic performance. Moreover, the
students emphasised that the tutors were great assistance and helped them achieve things
that are deemed so simple, “I’m doing my work, I’m finishing my assignments” (Niadoo,
2012). Others explained that the teachers have “done the impossible for us” and they
believe “everything is so perfect” (Naidoo, 2012).

The second article in this paper is based on Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) ‘Supporting Refugee
Students in Schools: What Constitutes Inclusive Education?’. This article has similar goals and
aspirations for young refugees. The literature review also draws upon dense research,
between the years of 1996 and 2009. Similarly, to Naidoo (2012), the literature used in this
article has a majority of more recent research, however does draw upon a specific amount
of research that is currently outdated. It is also evident that the article does not draw upon
any research within 3 years of when it was published. The article highlights that the overall
literature on migration has disregarded the situation of ‘forced migrants’ and their
experiences (Matthews, 2008; Pinson & Arnot, 2007). It also fails to account their place of
origin, their educational experiences and most importantly their specific reasons for finding
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asylum (Sidhu & Taylor’s, 2012). Similarly to Naidoo (2012), Sidhu & Taylor (2012)
accentuate the lack of attention and policy refugee students receive in the education system
and its result in a lack of frameworks for disadvantaged, ignored and merely invisible
refugee students, who are usually placed in the wrong category (Sidhu & Taylor’s, 2007).
This circumstance does not facilitate refugee access to the mainstream curriculum or
community (Sidhu & Taylor’s, 2012). Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) article does not draw upon any
national professional standards for teaching, which was deemed relevant in Naidoo’s (2012)
article in facilitating learning for all students from diverse backgrounds, as well as
maximizing teacher involvement.

Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) article focuses on four schools, which were studied and visited due
to their collaboration with refugee students. School A; is a high school in Sydney, NSW.
School B; is a catholic primary school in Brisbane on the south-side suburbs, where a vast
majority of African refugees have recently arrived. School C; is a catholic inner city Brisbane
high school and School D; is also a catholic high school on the outer northern suburbs of
Brisbane, which is accessible via train from other suburbs. These schools were studied to
identify how the requirements for refugee students were being addressed and the values or
approaches used to do so (Sidhu & Taylor, 2012). In Naidoo’s (2012) article, the case study
was conducted in one school, in comparison to four in Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) article. Sidhu
& Taylor’s (2012) provided a more varied approach to the case study, which supplies a larger
amount of data and results to acknowledge. However, Naidoo’s (2012) article is safely
consistent, whereas Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) have imparted three quarters of the data from
Brisbane based schools, rather than four schools from differing states. Thus, it is evident that
the data collected cannot represent the Australian education system, but rather the
Brisbane and NSW education system.

Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) article was also a qualitative study, which focused on addressing
targeted policy, the schools commitment to social justice, an inclusive approach and a
holistic approach to education and welfare through leadership and support for learning
needs. These were addressed through informal interviews with the principals and staff at
each school. The interview focused on strategies, courses and methods used in the school to
welcome, assist and integrate refugee students in their academic endeavors. The article also
took into consideration school newsletters to acknowledge the central ideology of refugees
in the school. This approach was extremely similar to Naidoo’s (2012) article, however
Naidoo (2012) interviewed and received perceptions from the school, staff, refugee students
and the pre-service teachers involved, rather than just the staff (Sidhu & Taylor, 2012). The
use of interviews in both articles allowed for open-ended questions to be asked and allowed
for an open worded response by the receiver (Gall, Gall & Borg, 2015). This approach also
took into consideration the expression and experiences of the contributor and allowed for
further improvisation based on the information given (Ullman, 2015).

Sidhu & Taylor’s (2012) article identified that targeted policies and system support are
critical in solving the disadvantages that young refugees face. School (A) involves the NSW
Priority Schools Program, which provides equity for students through literacy workshops,
welfare programs, projects on cultural understanding and excursions to assist refugees in
settling in Australia. In comparison, Brisbane does not have target policies for refugees,
however schools must prove to the state government how they would facilitate teaching
and learning for refugee students, in order to receive $1000 per refugee from the state
government. The principal from school D highlighted that the funding was affiliated with an
increase in support for the students. Naidoo (2012) completed the RAS program and was
successful in its method through no funding or payments. It is evident that the funding can
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be affiliated with an increase in support, however it is not necessarily needed to approach

the disadvantages that refugees face (Whitaker, 2008).

Arnot & Pinson’s (2005) study highlights that ‘an ethos of inclusion’ is affiliated with a
‘celebration of diversity’ and the ‘giving of hope’. Many responses from the staff and
principals interviewed included this ethos of inclusion emphasising their contribution to
assist refugee students and help them move into mainstream curriculum and school
community (Sidhu & Taylor, 2012). Staff also express the importance of student wellness,
“Its not just academic, a lot of it is personal support as well”. This recognition is crucial in
being able to connect and engage with refugee students. Principal from school D,
accentuated the resilience that refugee students have, “If these people have been
resourceful enough to survive what they have, we have so much to learn from them”.

There were both significant similarities and differences in Naidoo’s (2012) and Sidhu &
Taylor’s (2012) article. Both articles gave a concise qualitative approach, which was the best
method for their case study aims and resulted in a substantial amount of relevant data.
Despite the limited research available on approaches to refugee students, there are
effective models that have shown to be successful (Brown et al. 2006). Naidoo’s (2012)
article shows evidence that the main target audience, refugee students, benefitted from the
opportunities of the RAS program and most significantly have shown to comfortably enjoy
the program and trust their tutors. On the contrary, Sidhu & Taylor (2012) had a staff focus
on approaches rather than a student focus. It is also evident that each individual has diverse
needs and a single classroom cannot approach all of these learning styles. Thus, schools
need to provide assistance and learning support to refugee students who are struggling in
their transition to mainstream classes, which can be provided through additional time given
to specific areas of improvement (Miller & Windle, 2010). Overall, the articles have shown
effective methods in supporting refugee students on their academic journey, through the
preparation and awareness beginning from the classroom teacher.
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