Research Article
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“The Teacher is not a Magician”: Teacher Training in Greek Reception Facilities for Refugee Education

Year 2020, Volume: 4 Issue: 7, 42 - 55, 04.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.31458/iejes.605255

Abstract

Greek
Reception Facilities for Refugee Education (RFREs) operated for the first time
in Greece during the school year 2016-2017, as a result of the need of refugee
children to participate in formal education either in the refugee reception centers
or in school units, with the purpose of their educational integration. The aim
of this study is to examine the process and criteria with which teachers in
RFREs were chosen and the training they received. The research participants
were seven teachers and one Refugee Education Coordinator (REC) in the cities
of Volos and Larisa, Greece. Through semi
-structured interviews,
the participants expressed the challenges they faced which resulted from
receiving insufficient training in teaching refugee children. Based on the
study findings, it can be concluded that the lack of training of teachers
working in RFREs causes multiple problems, which impede educational procedures.
It was found that the teachers were not able to successfully approach their
refugee students so as to create the prerequisites for the children to be
smoothly integrated into the Greek educational system. Lack of skills for
students’ psychological support and communication difficulties due to lack of a
language of mediation also causes many issues which obstruct the educational
process.

References

  • Boyden, J., de Berry, J., Feeny, T., & Hart, J. (2002). Children affected by conflict in South Asia: a review of trends and issues identified through secondary research. Refugee Studies Centre, RSC Working Paper No. 7, University of Oxford. Retrieved from 1https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/files/files-1/dp-children-armed-conflict-south-asia.pdf (Accessed at 8/9/18).
  • Ceccarelli, M. (2016). Providing the integration of refugees into foreign societies. Armun Research Report: General Assembly 6, Social, Humanitarian and Cultural. Retrieved from http://www.youcee.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/6-GA3-refugee-intergration.pdf (Accessed 4/3/18).
  • Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
  • Crul, M., Keskiner, E., Schneider, Ε., Lelieand, F. & Ghaeminia, S., (2017). No lost generation: education for refugee children. A comparison between Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands and Turkey. In R. Bauböck & M. Tripkovic (Eds.), The integration of migrants and refugees. An EUI Forum on migration, citizenship and demography (62-79) Florence: European University Institute.
  • Eisenbruch, M. (1988). The mental health of refugee children and their cultural development. International Migration Review 22, 282-300.
  • Education and training in Europe: the challenge of integration (2016). Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/greece/news/20161107_ekpaideysi_katartisi_el (Accessed 13/8/18)
  • European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2019). Integrating students from migrant backgrounds into schools in Europe: national policies and measures. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
  • Fisher, C. B., Wallace, S. A., & Fenton, R. E. (2000). Discrimination distress during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 29, 679-695.
  • Gargasoula, E. (2018). Refugee-immigrant education: case study of the teachers in secondary education in RFREs. Dissertation. University of Peloponnese, Department of Social and Political Sciences
  • Hayward, M. (2017). Teaching as a primary therapeutic intervention for learners from refugee backgrounds. Intercultural Education 28 (2), 165-181.
  • Hones, D. F. (2002). American dreams, global visions: dialogic teacher research with refugee and immigrant families. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Juvonen, J. & Bell, A. N. (2018). Social integration of refugee youth in Europe: lessons learnt about interethnic relations in U.S. schools. Polish Psychological Bulletin 49 (1), 23-30.
  • Kanu, Y. (2008). Educational needs and barriers for African refugee students in Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Education 31 (4), 915–940.
  • Kovinthan, T. (2016). Learning and teaching with loss: meeting the needs of refugee children through narrative inquiry. Studies of Migration, Integration, Equity, and Cultural Survival 10 (3), 141-155.
  • Koukoula, A. (2017). Attitudes and opinions of teachers regarding refugee and immigrant integration in the Greek educational system. The case of the municipality of Lesvos and of Serres. Dissertation. Hellenic Open University.
  • MacNevin, J. (2012). Learning the way: teaching and learning with and for youth from refugee backgrounds on prince edward island. Canadian Journal of Education 35 (3), 48–63.
  • Magos, K. & Margaroni, M. (2018). The importance of educating refugees. Global Education Review 5(4), 1-6.
  • Maligkoudi, C., Tolakidou, P. & Chiona, S. (2018). “It is not bilingualism. There is no communication”. Examining greek teachers’ views towards refugee children’s bilingualism: A case study. Dialogoi, Theory & Praxis in Education 4, 95-107.
  • Marouli, E. (2017). Investigation of perceptions and training needs of teachers in primary education who work with refugee students in general schools (cases of ZEP1, ZEP2, RFRE). Master’s Thesis. Hellenic Open University.
  • OECD reviews of migrant education (2018). The resilience of students with an immigrant background: factors that shape well-Being. Retrieved from https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264292093en.pdf?expires=1556025290&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=13625606919D4245C468D06156AEB392 (Accessed at 23/4/19).
  • O.G.G: criteria for staffing RFREs with teachers and the role of school counselors (2016). Retrieved from http://www.alfavita.gr/arthron/ekpaideysi/fek-ta-kritiria-gia-tin-stelehosi-ton-dyep-apo-ekpaideytikoys-kai-o-rolos-ton (Accessed at 20/9/18).
  • Operational Portal. Refugee status (2019). Retrieved from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean/location/5179 (Accessed at 23/4/19).
  • Palmén, M. (2015). Adult education along the refugee route. Elm Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.elmmagazine.eu/articles/adult-education-along-the-refugee-route/ (accessed at 9/8/17).
  • Paschalis, A. (2017). Formal education of refugee children in Greece. Master’s Thesis. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Financial and Political Sciences.
  • Patton, M. Q. (2002). Two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: a personal, experiential perspective. Qualitative Social Work 1 (3), 261-283.
  • Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2001). Legacies: the story of the immigrant second generation. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • RFRE reception facilities for refugee education (n.d.). Ministry of Education, Research and Religion. Institute of Educational Policy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.edu.gr/el/crossingbordersedu-anakoinwseis/dyep-domes-ypodoxis-kai-ekpaidefsis-prosfygon (Accessed at 11/9/18).
  • Simopoulos, G. (2014). The intercultural competence of adult instructors. Research on the field of teaching Greek as a second language. Unpublished PhD thesis. University of Patras, Greece
  • Simopoulos, G. & Alexandidis, A. (2019). Refugee education in Greece: integration or segregation? Forced Migration Review. Retrieved from https://www.fmreview.org/education-displacement/simopoulos-alexandridis (Accessed at 11/7/19).
  • Sinclair, M. (2001). Education in emergencies. In J. Crisp, C. Talbot, & D. B. Cipollone (Eds.), Learning for a future: refugee education in developing countries. Lausanne, Switzerland: United Nations Publications, 1-84.
  • Statistics for migration and immigrant population (2017). Eurostat, statistics explained. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics/el (Accessed at 6/3/18).
  • Stergiou, L. & Simopoulos, G. (2019). After the container: intercultural view in refugee education. Athens: Gutenberg.
  • Szente, J., Hoot, J. & Taylor, D. (2006). Responding to the special needs of refugee children: practical ideas for teachers. Early Childhood Journal 34 (1), 15-20.
  • Taylor, S. & Sidhu, R. K. (2012). Supporting refugee students in schools: what constitutes inclusive education? International Journal of Inclusive Education 16 (1), 39-56.
  • The refugee crisis through statistics: a compilation for politicians, journalists and other concerned citizens (2017). Berlin: European Stability Initiative. Retrieved from %http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/ESI%20%20The%20refugee%20crisis%20through%20statistics%20-%2030%20Jan%202017.pdf (Accessed at 6/3/18).
  • Tsiolis, G. (2014). Methods and techniques of analysis in qualitative research. Athens: Kritiki
  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees (n.d). Refugee children: guidelines on protection and care. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/3b84c6c67.pdf (Accessed at 23/4/19).
  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees (2000). The UNHCR global report 1999. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/publications/fundraising/4a0d20356/global-report-1999.html (Accessed at 8/9/18).
  • United Nations Human Rights, Office of the high commissioner (1989). Convention on the rights of the child. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx (Accessed at 11/9/18).
  • UNHCR Greece (2018). Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/gr/%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84% CE%B9% CE%BA%CE%AC (Accessed at 11/7/19).
  • UNHCR (2019). Operational Portal: Refugee situations. Retrieved from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean/location/5179#_ga=2.1495089.1290003409.1556202965-1817607962.1546529370 (Accessed at 11/7/19).
  • UNHCR Greece Factsheet (2019). Retrieved from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/69017 (Accessed 11/7/19).
  • UNICEF (2019). Refugee and migrant children in Greece. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/eca/sites/unicef.org.eca/files/201902/Refugee%20and%20migrant%20children%20in%20Greece%2031%20Jan%202019.pdf (Accessed at 11/7/19). Wingfield, M., & Karaman, B. (2001). Arab stereotypes and American educators. Retrieved from /https://www.teachingforchange.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/ec_arabstereotypes_english.pdf (Accessed at 8/9/18).

“The Teacher is not a Magician”: Teacher Training in Greek Reception Facilities for Refugee Education

Year 2020, Volume: 4 Issue: 7, 42 - 55, 04.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.31458/iejes.605255

Abstract

Greek
Reception Facilities for Refugee Education (RFREs) operated for the first time
in Greece during the school year 2016-2017, as a result of the need of refugee
children to participate in formal education either in the refugee reception centers
or in school units, with the purpose of their educational integration. The aim
of this study is to examine the process and criteria with which teachers in
RFREs were chosen and the training they received. The research participants
were seven teachers and one Refugee Education Coordinator (REC) in the cities
of Volos and Larisa, Greece. Through semi
-structured interviews,
the participants expressed the challenges they faced which resulted from
receiving insufficient training in teaching refugee children. Based on the
study findings, it can be concluded that the lack of training of teachers
working in RFREs causes multiple problems, which impede educational procedures.
It was found that the teachers were not able to successfully approach their
refugee students so as to create the prerequisites for the children to be
smoothly integrated into the Greek educational system. Lack of skills for
students’ psychological support and communication difficulties due to lack of a
language of mediation also causes many issues which obstruct the educational
process.

References

  • Boyden, J., de Berry, J., Feeny, T., & Hart, J. (2002). Children affected by conflict in South Asia: a review of trends and issues identified through secondary research. Refugee Studies Centre, RSC Working Paper No. 7, University of Oxford. Retrieved from 1https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/files/files-1/dp-children-armed-conflict-south-asia.pdf (Accessed at 8/9/18).
  • Ceccarelli, M. (2016). Providing the integration of refugees into foreign societies. Armun Research Report: General Assembly 6, Social, Humanitarian and Cultural. Retrieved from http://www.youcee.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/6-GA3-refugee-intergration.pdf (Accessed 4/3/18).
  • Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
  • Crul, M., Keskiner, E., Schneider, Ε., Lelieand, F. & Ghaeminia, S., (2017). No lost generation: education for refugee children. A comparison between Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands and Turkey. In R. Bauböck & M. Tripkovic (Eds.), The integration of migrants and refugees. An EUI Forum on migration, citizenship and demography (62-79) Florence: European University Institute.
  • Eisenbruch, M. (1988). The mental health of refugee children and their cultural development. International Migration Review 22, 282-300.
  • Education and training in Europe: the challenge of integration (2016). Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/greece/news/20161107_ekpaideysi_katartisi_el (Accessed 13/8/18)
  • European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2019). Integrating students from migrant backgrounds into schools in Europe: national policies and measures. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
  • Fisher, C. B., Wallace, S. A., & Fenton, R. E. (2000). Discrimination distress during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 29, 679-695.
  • Gargasoula, E. (2018). Refugee-immigrant education: case study of the teachers in secondary education in RFREs. Dissertation. University of Peloponnese, Department of Social and Political Sciences
  • Hayward, M. (2017). Teaching as a primary therapeutic intervention for learners from refugee backgrounds. Intercultural Education 28 (2), 165-181.
  • Hones, D. F. (2002). American dreams, global visions: dialogic teacher research with refugee and immigrant families. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Juvonen, J. & Bell, A. N. (2018). Social integration of refugee youth in Europe: lessons learnt about interethnic relations in U.S. schools. Polish Psychological Bulletin 49 (1), 23-30.
  • Kanu, Y. (2008). Educational needs and barriers for African refugee students in Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Education 31 (4), 915–940.
  • Kovinthan, T. (2016). Learning and teaching with loss: meeting the needs of refugee children through narrative inquiry. Studies of Migration, Integration, Equity, and Cultural Survival 10 (3), 141-155.
  • Koukoula, A. (2017). Attitudes and opinions of teachers regarding refugee and immigrant integration in the Greek educational system. The case of the municipality of Lesvos and of Serres. Dissertation. Hellenic Open University.
  • MacNevin, J. (2012). Learning the way: teaching and learning with and for youth from refugee backgrounds on prince edward island. Canadian Journal of Education 35 (3), 48–63.
  • Magos, K. & Margaroni, M. (2018). The importance of educating refugees. Global Education Review 5(4), 1-6.
  • Maligkoudi, C., Tolakidou, P. & Chiona, S. (2018). “It is not bilingualism. There is no communication”. Examining greek teachers’ views towards refugee children’s bilingualism: A case study. Dialogoi, Theory & Praxis in Education 4, 95-107.
  • Marouli, E. (2017). Investigation of perceptions and training needs of teachers in primary education who work with refugee students in general schools (cases of ZEP1, ZEP2, RFRE). Master’s Thesis. Hellenic Open University.
  • OECD reviews of migrant education (2018). The resilience of students with an immigrant background: factors that shape well-Being. Retrieved from https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264292093en.pdf?expires=1556025290&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=13625606919D4245C468D06156AEB392 (Accessed at 23/4/19).
  • O.G.G: criteria for staffing RFREs with teachers and the role of school counselors (2016). Retrieved from http://www.alfavita.gr/arthron/ekpaideysi/fek-ta-kritiria-gia-tin-stelehosi-ton-dyep-apo-ekpaideytikoys-kai-o-rolos-ton (Accessed at 20/9/18).
  • Operational Portal. Refugee status (2019). Retrieved from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean/location/5179 (Accessed at 23/4/19).
  • Palmén, M. (2015). Adult education along the refugee route. Elm Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.elmmagazine.eu/articles/adult-education-along-the-refugee-route/ (accessed at 9/8/17).
  • Paschalis, A. (2017). Formal education of refugee children in Greece. Master’s Thesis. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Financial and Political Sciences.
  • Patton, M. Q. (2002). Two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: a personal, experiential perspective. Qualitative Social Work 1 (3), 261-283.
  • Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2001). Legacies: the story of the immigrant second generation. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • RFRE reception facilities for refugee education (n.d.). Ministry of Education, Research and Religion. Institute of Educational Policy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.edu.gr/el/crossingbordersedu-anakoinwseis/dyep-domes-ypodoxis-kai-ekpaidefsis-prosfygon (Accessed at 11/9/18).
  • Simopoulos, G. (2014). The intercultural competence of adult instructors. Research on the field of teaching Greek as a second language. Unpublished PhD thesis. University of Patras, Greece
  • Simopoulos, G. & Alexandidis, A. (2019). Refugee education in Greece: integration or segregation? Forced Migration Review. Retrieved from https://www.fmreview.org/education-displacement/simopoulos-alexandridis (Accessed at 11/7/19).
  • Sinclair, M. (2001). Education in emergencies. In J. Crisp, C. Talbot, & D. B. Cipollone (Eds.), Learning for a future: refugee education in developing countries. Lausanne, Switzerland: United Nations Publications, 1-84.
  • Statistics for migration and immigrant population (2017). Eurostat, statistics explained. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics/el (Accessed at 6/3/18).
  • Stergiou, L. & Simopoulos, G. (2019). After the container: intercultural view in refugee education. Athens: Gutenberg.
  • Szente, J., Hoot, J. & Taylor, D. (2006). Responding to the special needs of refugee children: practical ideas for teachers. Early Childhood Journal 34 (1), 15-20.
  • Taylor, S. & Sidhu, R. K. (2012). Supporting refugee students in schools: what constitutes inclusive education? International Journal of Inclusive Education 16 (1), 39-56.
  • The refugee crisis through statistics: a compilation for politicians, journalists and other concerned citizens (2017). Berlin: European Stability Initiative. Retrieved from %http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/ESI%20%20The%20refugee%20crisis%20through%20statistics%20-%2030%20Jan%202017.pdf (Accessed at 6/3/18).
  • Tsiolis, G. (2014). Methods and techniques of analysis in qualitative research. Athens: Kritiki
  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees (n.d). Refugee children: guidelines on protection and care. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/3b84c6c67.pdf (Accessed at 23/4/19).
  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees (2000). The UNHCR global report 1999. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/publications/fundraising/4a0d20356/global-report-1999.html (Accessed at 8/9/18).
  • United Nations Human Rights, Office of the high commissioner (1989). Convention on the rights of the child. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx (Accessed at 11/9/18).
  • UNHCR Greece (2018). Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/gr/%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84% CE%B9% CE%BA%CE%AC (Accessed at 11/7/19).
  • UNHCR (2019). Operational Portal: Refugee situations. Retrieved from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean/location/5179#_ga=2.1495089.1290003409.1556202965-1817607962.1546529370 (Accessed at 11/7/19).
  • UNHCR Greece Factsheet (2019). Retrieved from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/69017 (Accessed 11/7/19).
  • UNICEF (2019). Refugee and migrant children in Greece. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/eca/sites/unicef.org.eca/files/201902/Refugee%20and%20migrant%20children%20in%20Greece%2031%20Jan%202019.pdf (Accessed at 11/7/19). Wingfield, M., & Karaman, B. (2001). Arab stereotypes and American educators. Retrieved from /https://www.teachingforchange.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/ec_arabstereotypes_english.pdf (Accessed at 8/9/18).
There are 43 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Studies on Education
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Marina Moglı 0000-0002-9623-8448

Sotiria Kalbenı This is me

Lida Stergıou This is me

Publication Date December 4, 2019
Submission Date August 14, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2020 Volume: 4 Issue: 7

Cite

APA Moglı, M., Kalbenı, S., & Stergıou, L. (2019). “The Teacher is not a Magician”: Teacher Training in Greek Reception Facilities for Refugee Education. International E-Journal of Educational Studies, 4(7), 42-55. https://doi.org/10.31458/iejes.605255

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