Rohingya Refugee Women Negotiate English and (Ambivalently) Their Children’s Schooling

An action research partnership focused on social integration of Rohingya refugee women with their children enrolled in Ontario public schools, aiming to better equip caregivers to advocate for their children’s academic interests by creating a social space where Rohingya women could learn English while addressing their children’s schooling needs. The self-constituted group met weekly throughout a year. The study’s method involved a recursive process of gathering and analyzing data; sharing findings with participants; and developing, delivering, and revisiting participation formats and activities. Key findings were: although the project fostered community building and self-empowerment in several areas, unfamiliarity with the Ontario school system and perceived lack of English proficiency prevented the women from developing self-confidence to advocate for their children’s educational needs. Also, while they voiced a commitment to linguistic maintenance and cultural continuity, they found these goals daunting given their children’s English skills already exceeded those in their first language

Negotiation · Political science · Refugee · Social science · Sociology · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees · Gender Studies