Kids in limbo

War, uncertainty, and the school experiences of Ukrainian refugee students in Poland

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12134792
AutoresIwona B Franczak (Sociology Department, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Syracuse University Syracuse New York USA, autor de correspondencia), Amy Lutz (Syracuse University), Amy C Lutz (Sociology Department, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Syracuse University Syracuse New York USA)
Año2024
Volumen39
Número4
Páginas413-426
Fecha de publicación2024-09-18
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSociological Forum (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0884-8971 • E-ISSN: 1573-7861
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/socf.13022
OpenAlexW4402583900
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas43

Russia's invasion of Ukraine begun on February 24, 2022. By December 2022, approximately 8 million Ukrainians left their homes seeking safety in other countries. One million Ukrainian refugees (mostly mothers and children) settled in Poland and 200,000 Ukrainian refugee children attended Polish schools in July 2023. Based on the interviews conducted with Polish speaking teachers and Ukrainian mothers in Poland, this research examines educational experiences of Ukrainian school‐age children who fled the war and enrolled in Polish schools. This study draws on the recent literature on refugee education and related fields, adapts Horst and Grabska's theory of “radical uncertainty”, and expands on the social demographic lens on refugee migration by including educational experiences of refugee youth. Findings suggest that changes to family and school routines caused by the war hindered academic performance and social–emotional well‐being of some Ukrainian school‐age refugees regardless of mothers' advantageous socio‐economic backgrounds. Although some Ukrainian students experienced educational inequalities because of their refugee status, the uncertainty caused by the war was the driving force behind the changes in students' educational lives. We also find that schools are crucial in creating a sense of familiarity and restoring a sense of stability among refugee students

Political science · Refugee · Sociology · Ukrainian · Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees · Gender Studies · Law · Migration, Health and Trauma · Migration, Refugees, and Integration