The research project is led by Associate Prof Vivienne Anderson, of the University of Otago College of Education and was prompted by discussions among staff in education sectors and those working for non-government organisations.
The staff knew of a ‘‘large group of refugee-background students in senior secondary schools’’ in the South who had high aspirations but limited understanding of the education system, Prof Anderson said.
‘‘Tertiary education is very confusing for many school leavers and refugee-background students are also navigating the many challenges associated with resettlement in a new country,’’ she said.
After the first year of the planned three-year research project, initial findings highlighted the importance of schools taking former refugee pupils’ educational aspirations seriously.
Some pupils had described the pressure of managing schoolwork and learning a language alongside care-giving responsibilities and ‘‘ongoing effects of trauma’’.
Former refugee students were diverse, but the research was ‘‘highlighting the intense emotional and academic labour involved in navigating New Zealand education’’.
Prof Anderson hoped the national Secondary to Tertiary Transitions Project could ‘‘inform policies and practices that make educational navigation a bit easier’’ for former refugees.
University of Otago dentistry student and Iraqi-born former refugee Dima Al-Sheikh supported the project’s aims and said she had found it hard to find suitable information about tertiary study while undertaking secondary study in Auckland.