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Predictors of Secondary School Completion Among Refugee Youth 8 to 9 Years After Resettlement in Melbourne, Australia

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Abstract

Being able to attend school and achieve an education is one of the most desired opportunities among resettled refugee young people. However, turning educational aspirations into reality is not straightforward. There is a large body of research documenting the barriers associated with educational achievement among refugees who resettle as teenagers, both in Australia and internationally. No studies, however, have identified the factors that predict completion of secondary school among resettled refugee youth over time. This paper reports the predictors of completion of secondary school among a cohort of 47 refugee youth resettled in Melbourne, Australia. Eight to 9 years after resettlement, 29 (62 %) had completed secondary school and 18 (38 %) had left school prior to completing year 12. Age on arrival and experiences of discrimination in Australia were significant predictors of secondary school completion. Older refugee youth (on arrival) and those who reported experiences of discrimination over the first 8 to 9 years in Australia were significantly less likely to complete secondary school. This longitudinal study confirms that, as a group, refugee youth are particularly at risk of not completing secondary school education, which can have an impact on their wellbeing and long-term socio-economic standing in their settlement country. Our study provides further evidence of the negative impact of discrimination on the educational outcomes of disadvantaged young people.

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Notes

  1. Pseudonyms have been used.

  2. VCE: Victorian Certificate of Education, a certificate awarded to students who successfully complete their secondary education and that provides pathways to employment and further study.

  3. VCAL: Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, a certificate that provides practical work-related experience, as well as literacy, numeracy and personal skills. An option for students in years 11 and 12.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of the young people who participated in the study, the staff from the English Language Schools, and the research team. Funding for the first 4 years of the Good Starts study was provided by VicHealth, Foundation House (VFST), Sydney Myer Fund, William Buckland Foundation, La Trobe University and, for the 8/9-year follow-up, by the Australian Research Council (DP120101579).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health and Social Work, and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, 4059, Australia

    Ignacio Correa-Velez

  2. The Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122, Australia

    Sandra M. Gifford & Robyn Sampson

  3. School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia

    Celia McMichael

  4. School of Geography, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Level 1, 221 Bouverie St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, Australia

    Celia McMichael

Authors
  1. Ignacio Correa-Velez
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  2. Sandra M. Gifford
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  3. Celia McMichael
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  4. Robyn Sampson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ignacio Correa-Velez.

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Ethical clearance was provided by La Trobe University Human Ethics Committee, the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (a partner of the study) and the Victorian Department of Education.

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Correa-Velez, I., Gifford, S.M., McMichael, C. et al. Predictors of Secondary School Completion Among Refugee Youth 8 to 9 Years After Resettlement in Melbourne, Australia. Int. Migration & Integration 18, 791–805 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-016-0503-z

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