Work in Progress
Creating learning spaces for refugees: The role of multicultural organisations in Australia
Summary
- Item:
- 10364
- Title:
- Creating learning spaces for refugees: The role of multicultural organisations in Australia
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR5L07
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 25 November 2005
- Contact:
- Judith Miralles
- phone: +61 3 9387 8106
- email: judith.miralles@bigpond.com
Purpose
This research seeks to identify the critical role of community organisations as surrogate English language, literacy and learning organisations for three refugee groups, whose uptake of formal VET is already known from the available aggregated data, to be relatively low. It will specifically determine the role of such organisations in providing important informal networks that connect them to the Australian community and the world of work. It seeks to move away from the tendency to lump all Australian refugees with similarly low transition to higher level VET and employment into one group with common experiences, problems and solutions. It therefore focuses on the diversity within and between three groups of refugees from the Horn of Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East. It will include an examination of a range of factors and mechanisms that enhance or inhibit opportunities to develop English language, literacy and employability skills for each of these groups. It will include an identification of successful approaches that support this informal skills transfer through community organisations and that might be applicable to VET and enhance refugee employability.
The research findings will provide a clearer understanding of how community organisations support successful learning and employment outcomes for refugee communities and be valuable to policy makers, planners and RTOs. It will also identify difference within and between refugee groups and thus create a more nuanced understanding of the needs of these communities
Approach
Interviews and Case Studies
Research questions
1. What role do community-based ethnic organisations play in English literacy, language and employability skills acquisition?
2. What are the similarities and differences in experiences of VET and problems in accessing education, training and work within and between three recently arrived refugee groups?
3. What approaches lead to the most positive transfer of literacy, language and employability skills and community engagement for these groups?
4. How might literacy and English language acquisition as well as employability for these refugee groups be further enhanced through greater emphasis on engagement in community contexts including through VET?
Methodology
The study will involve: Literature searches and analysis of existing aggregated national, and State/Territory data relating to refugee involvement in literacy, language and vocational programs. Identification of appropriate community-based ethnic organisations in Australian States (NSW, Victoria, Queensland) working with recently arrived refugees and ethical access to these refugees. Identification of appropriate bicultural / bilingual facilitators. Negotiation with organisations for 12 focus groups (two focus groups per cultural group across six sites) conducted by bicultural / binligual facilitators, targeting current and prospective students (total 120-140 participants). Collection by questionnaire of demographic data; courses attempted / completed; length of residency; educational background; pathways to work.... for all focus group participants (parallel to focus groups). Forty to sixty in-depth interviews with key informants from community-based organisations working with refugees from the nominated groups. Writing up of six case studies, two for each refugee group demonstrating innovative practice in pathways to VET and work.
The research will target three broad refugee groups from the Balkans (Bosnia - Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro), North Africa (Sudan) and the Middle East (Iran and/or Iraq). These three selected groups: represent a cross section of settlement experiences; languages; educational backgrounds; English language proficiency and include a high proportion of working-age adults, including people in the 18-25 age range.
Final group and sub-group selection decisions and research site locations taken in consultation with the Project Advisory Committee, comprising representatives of refugee groups and service providers including RTOs. Membership will be sought from Australian Multicultural Foundation, Migrant Resource Centres, ethnic communities' councils, Foundation for Survivors of Torture and Trauma and other relevant peak organisations. The three targeted groups are in the top ten source countries for the recent Humanitarian Migration Stream (Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs [DIMIA] 2004 Settlement Data Base) and have relatively low transition rates to higher level VET and work compared to Australia-born and other people from a language other than English background groups. To be representative nationally, research sites will include some regional settings. Focus group composition will take into account gender roles and status issues and a combination of general (mixed gender) women's only and young persons? groups will be conducted as appropriate. A rigorous research protocol will be adopted. The researchers will abide by the AVETRA and AMSRS research codes of practice.
Organisations
Judith Miralles and Associates has extensive experience of multicultural affairs and has researched such diverse issues as the education and training, health, housing, access to information, and settlement needs of culturally diverse groups. The company has worked with a range of organisations to identify gaps and to develop policy, planning and training responses to improve service delivery to people from culturally diverse backgrounds. We also design professional development programs and materials and conduct training programs. Our established networks with a broad range of stakeholders and solid experience of work at both the national, state and local levels guarantee a current understanding of the political, social and economic policy contexts.
University of Ballarat is underpinned by a university-based and ISO9001 quality system. Barry Golding through the School of Education has successfully undertaken many external projects and consultancies, since 2005 with the RAVE (Researching Adult and Vocational Education) Group that includes Prof Lawrie Angus, Dr Mike Brown, Dr Jack Harvey and Annette Foley from University of Ballarat and Dr Peter Waterhouse (from WLI).
