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The importance of self-reflection:

Teacher responsibilities in
understanding the effect race and socio-
economic disadvantage have on refugee
students
Isabelle King

QUESTION 1
Critically discuss the statement that to better match beliefs about diversity
with practice, we must examine how our own intercultural sensitivities
about difference and diversity might impact upon students learning.

Word count: 2, 188

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Education and teaching have a profound effect upon the maintenance and development of societal

culture and beliefs (Sever, 2012). When developing cultural norms, schools establish significant

conditions under which students construct their identities. Schools act as microcosms of social realities

and have the potential to change social attitudes about diversity, culture and race gradually (Mansouri

& Jenkins, 2010). As professionals responsible for student learning, teachers have the ability to impact

student outcomes and influence changing cultures within broader society. It is therefore implicitly

important that teachers understand the importance of their own actions within the educational context

(Gay, 2010). When examining symbols of identity such as race and ethnicity, teacher education

programs often focus on how discourse shapes learner identities. By doing this, programs rarely focus

on how such discourse can shape teacher identities (Allard & Santoro, 2006). This is problematic, as

teacher identity impacts on teacher practice, and teacher practice impacts upon student outcomes and

wellbeing (Gay, 2010).

In the Australian context, this can be seen as specifically problematic as social justice issues related to

racism and socio-economic status permeate Australian culture and society. Within schools, refugee

youth are affected by policies that produce white culture power imbalances, encourage socio-economic

divisions and emphasize contemporary dominant discourse. Social reproduction and critical race

theories can be used as conceptual frameworks to highlight and better understand the nature of racism

and socio-economic disadvantage within the Australian classroom and how this affects refugee youth.

This will be shown specifically in relation to The New South Wales Department of Educations Anti-

Racism Policy (2005), the Multicultural Plan 2012 2015 (2014) and Enrolment Policy (2015). This

essay will showcase why critical reflection by teaching staff and policy makers is necessary to foster

the educational needs of refugees with disrupted learning and traumatic histories.

Refugee students in Australia face a number of unique challenges when confronted with accessing and

engaging in education. Often children from refugee backgrounds have disrupted formal education and

must grapple with unfamiliar educational and social systems. Adjusting to new cultures, languages,

insecure housing, poverty, disruption to family networks, negative stereotypes and discrimination all

have profound impacts on refugee children (Block et. al., 2014). Exposure to violence increases the

risk of poor mental health and can cause manifestations of impaired psychological functioning

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associated with trauma. These manifestations include aggression, inability to concentrate, social

withdrawal, regressive behaviour, attachment difficulties and anxiety causing cycles of disadvantage

(Block et. al., 2014). However, success in education is associated with a greater sense of control and

higher levels of social support and social inclusion (Block et. al., 2014). It can therefore be seen that

schools have a key part to play in addressing social exclusion and supporting refugee students achieve

positive outcomes (Block et. al., 2014).

Yet Australia is still feeling the effects of post-colonialism and the White Australia Policy policies

that evidence a historical culture of white supremacy and racist national dialogue. Upon colonising the

land, the British Empire declared it terra nullius, ignoring the existence and thus rights of the

indigenous owners. The following centuries brought the systematic genocide of Australias indigenous

people, and the post-colonial effects are still evident within both the Indigenous and white populations

of Australia today (Jalata, 2013). Of a similar mentality was the White Australia Policy of the twentieth

century, which aimed to curb immigration on the basis of race and ensure that Australia would

maintain a continued white dominance (Tavan, 2004). In this historical context, contemporary dialogue

surrounding refugee intake within Australia makes sense. The issue of refugees has caused immense

unrest and a backlash within the broader community and the dominant discourse focuses on negatively

stereotyping refugees, emphasizing the necessity for deterrence measures through Operation Soverign

Borders (Australian Government, 2016) and indicating the dominance of white voices in policy

making.

Pierre Bourdieu was an influential French sociologist who reasoned that dominant discourse is

interlaced with pedagogy and that educational systems express higher value in dominant social

structures. Within this system, he theorized that other forms of knowledge, expression and cultural

standards are excluded and devalued. For the individuals and collectives who do not identify with or

whose needs are not addressed by the dominant discourse, power is lost (Shim, 2012). Within this line

of reasoning, schools as an institution represent a place that perpetuates existing social schemas and

where power is used to perform this function within society. Bourdieu described that the social capital

garnered by those existing within the dominant framework can be used to maintain their place and

uphold the status quo (Naidoo, 2009). Critical race theory elucidates this concept for the Australian

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context as white supremacy and power have been reproduced over time and imbedded into law,

fostering institutional racism. This is evidenced because despite Australias steady intake of refugees

over the past two decades (Parliament of Australia, 2015), there are few standardized educational

interventions in existence for refugee children. The lack of youth focus within Australian resettlement

programs has led to a failure within the education system to consider and meet the particular needs of

refugee students (Block et. al., 2014). Likewise, when refugee student needs are acknowledged, the

student characteristics are generalized (Taylor & Sidhu, 2011). In these cases policy should be

specifically identifying how background histories correspond to specific need (Block et. al., 2014).

Indeed, when needs are assessed, most of the policy literature focuses on literacy and the status of

English proficiency in relation to students with language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE)

(Taylor & Sidhu, 2011). Very few statistics exist for programs focusing on the behavioural and

emotional needs arising from experiences of trauma, despite the extensive literature acknowledging the

profound effect trauma has on behaviour. Measures of success related to these challenges such as

graduation, suspension, expulsion and drop out rates from school are hard to find (Block et. al., 2014).

Schools endeavor to provide an environment in which students can learn in a safe manner free from

fear of abuse. However, the ability to create this environment is undermined by a rise in intercultural

tensions that permeate the school boundary (Mansouri & Jenkins, 2010). Teaching and education

systems need to critically examine how racism persists to advantage some groups within society and

disadvantage others (Shay, 2015) as schools represent the primary setting where refugee children learn

about Australian culture (Naidoo, 2009). For refugee students living within this culture, dominant

perspectives of race can be internalized causing social reproduction. As teachers existing with a

privileged power position, the necessity to be aware of their own identities and beliefs of race is

evident. It is therefore imperative that teachers, schools and education policy makers in Australia

acknowledge intercultural tensions and include curricula and teaching strategies that encourage the

breakdown of institutionalized racism. This can be used to foster greater understandings and

appreciation of cultural awareness.

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Systems should equally acknowledge that racism disempowers all not just minorities. It is well

documented that racial and ethnic diversity in the classroom can allow all students to become better

learners and more effective local and global citizens (Gurin, Nagda, & Lopez, 2004). This is an

incredibly important lesson to be gained within Australian educational institutions if the country wishes

to keep up in the globalized economy (Gurin, Nagda, & Lopez, 2004). The cultural and racial diversity

of many Australian schools means that they are well positioned to facilitate an exploration of cultural

identity while challenging racial stereotyping. To encourage this, symbolic interaction by teachers can

be used to question and change prejudicial language when referring to race and ethnicity in classroom

settings.

For government departments to support schools that create and foster more inclusive learning

environments, they need to develop programs that explore ways in which critical race theory and

culture can be incorporated into the school curriculum. The NSW Department of Education has begun

this process by introducing the Multicultural Plan 2012-2015 (2014). This provides both a more

nuanced look at how to ensure the goals of its Anti-Racism Policy are enacted and how cultural

diversity can be encouraged. It states that the government will provide support programs that ensure

settlement and transition programs are provided. Currently, whilst some programs do exist, they exist

at the discretion of the school principal. There is no regulation surrounding how many exist or where

they should be located. This level of detail should be included and provided for as it is part of the

governments social responsibility. The policy will provide further training and employ specialist staff

to deliver teaching programs (NSW Government, 2014). This is pivotal as teachers and others in school

settings find it hard to understand the needs of refugee students, including those needs related to their

history, the displacement elements affecting their lives, experiences of trauma, and literacy (Hardy &

Grootenboer, 2013). Such training can help teachers examine their own intercultural sensitivities in

relation to the needs to students.

However, the Multicultural Plan 2012-2015 (2014) framework does not acknowledge the influence of

socio-economic status on refugee education to any detail. When looking specifically within Sydney,

areas of Western and South Western Sydney are the most disadvantaged socio-economically within the

Greater Sydney area (ABS, 2008). Nevertheless the majority of refugees who settle in Sydney settle in

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Western and South-Western Sydney (iD, 2015). The struggles associated with settlement that refugees

face are inextricably linked to socio-economic status, as poverty can be a major influence over both

wellbeing and educational outcomes (Block et. al., 2014). Furthermore, the policies of the education

department do not exist within a vacuum, and the policies of other departments such as the immigration

departments Bridging Visa policies can be the cause of struggle. Bridging visa policy forces refugee

families to live on welfare and prevent them from obtaining paid work. For high school students who

want to fit in, they can feel like outsiders if they are prevented from getting jobs like the rest of their

peers (Human Rights Commission, 2013). The influence of these factors on refugee learning outcomes

cannot be ignored.

NSW Educational enrolment policy can cause clusters of disadvantage as each public school has a

defined area and children are designated a particular school based on the permanent residential address

of the primary caregiver (NSW Government, 2015). This policy reinforces Bourdieus theory of

habitus, as social background has a huge influence on both the level of access available to social and

cultural capital and how refugee students internalize their own self-image (Shim, 2014). The limited

discourse about the socio-economic status of refugee students within the Multicultural Plan highlights a

marked gap in understanding the causes of marginalization.

When referring to the individual responsibilities of the teacher, evidenced above is the necessity for

understanding the habitus of the child. Another area of key importance teachers should be aware of

when examining their identities is the power differential held between themselves and their students.

Language used by teachers can transmit negative beliefs that certain ethnic groups are insignificant in

particular areas of human endeavor (Gay, 2010). When dealing with race and ethnicity in particular,

teaching within the key learning area of Science can be improved by awareness of ethnicity and culture

both within the classroom and scientific knowledge. Science is a global pursuit and major scientific

revelations have been developed cross-culturally on a global scale. When discussing scientific

revelations, the conversation could be related back to the positive influence refugee migration has on

the world. One popular example of this is Albert Einstein, a refugee fleeing Nazi Germany. By

incorporating an understanding of the value that humans including refugees bring, teachers can foster

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an understanding that some human interests are universal. Likewise, by fostering a willingness to

engage with the research of other cultures, a more global outlook can be achieved.

Teachers must engage in further research about cultural competency. This is essential to understand

how students of different cultures may relate to their peers and mentors (Gay, 2010). Similarly,

teachers should educate themselves on how potential histories can influence refugee student behaviour.

This will allow them to be better equipped to understand and cope with behaviours, including class

engagement, confidence and trust. Finally, teachers can provide advocacy for culturally relevant

pedagogy approaches that seek to value cultural identity and challenge inequality in school settings

(Gay, 2010).

In light of this, it is evident that teachers must reflect on and examine their own identities and

intercultural sensitivities about difference and diversity if they are to foster positive learning outcomes

for refugee students. Refugees come from traumatic backgrounds that impact their psychological and

social behaviour. Education systems need to provide a space to understand the needs to refugees and

how their behaviours may relate to their disrupted backgrounds. Models that focus on inclusiveness

and celebration of cultural diversity can address both the learning and social needs of refugee students.

Government departments should be responsible for regulating structured opportunities for refugee

support programs and external agency involvement. Whilst the NSW Department of Educations

policies do address some of these issues, there is a strong need to address them to a more sophisticated

level. It is within these pedagogies and policy platforms that racism and socio-economic disadvantage

can be highlighted and examined.

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ABS (2008), ABS releases measures of socio-economic advantage and disadvantage, Retrieved March

13th, 2016, from

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/AC5B967F97D4902EC

A257B3B001AF670

Allard, A.C., & Santoro, N., (2006). Troubling identities: teacher education students constructions of

class and ethnicity. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(1), 115-129.

Australian Government (2016), Operation Sovereign Borders, Retrieved March 13th, 2016, from

https://www.border.gov.au/about/operation-sovereign-borders

Block, K., Cross, S., Riggs, E., & Gibbs, L. (2014). Supporting Schools to Create an Inclusive

Environment for Refugee Children. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 18(12), 1337-

1355.

Gay, G. (2010). Acting on Beliefs in Teacher Education for Cultural Diversity. Journal of Teacher

Education, 61(1-2), 143-152.

Gurin, P., Nagda, B.A., & Lopez, G.E. (2004). The benefits of diversity in education for democratic

citizenship. Journal of Social Issues, 60(1), 17-34.

Hardy, I., & Grootenboer, P. (2013). Schools, teachers and community: cultivating the conditions for

engaged student learning. Journal Of Curriculum Studies, 45(5), 697-719.

Human Rights Commission. (2013). Tell me about: bridging visas for asylum seekers, Retrieved March

12th, 2016, from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/asylum-seekers-and-

refugees/publications/tell-me-about-bridging-visas-asylum-seekers

.iD (2015), How many refugees does Australia take?, Retrieved March 10th, 2016, from

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Jalafa, A. (2013). The impacts of English Colonial Terrorism and Genocide on Indigenous/Black

Australians. SAGE Open, 3(3). DOI: 10.1177/2158244013499143

Mansouri, F., & Jenkins, L., (2010). Schools as sites of Race Relations and Intercultural Tension.

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Naidoo, L., (2009). Developing social inclusion through after-school homework tutoring: a study of

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NSW Department of Education (2005), Anti-Racism Policy, Retrieved March 9th, 2016, from

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/student_serv/equity/antiracism/PD20050235.shtml

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