Pathways to Integration and Language Acquisition: A Comparative Analysis of Refugee Children’s Social Integration and Foreign Language Difficulty in Lebanon and Australia

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between refugee children’s social integration and foreign language difficulty. It also examines how different legal settlements and their accompanying education paradigms impact refugee students’ integration and language difficulties in Lebanon and Australia, where short- and long-term legal settlements are provided. The study is based on a longitudinal survey data collected between the academic years 2018 and 2021, with 1565 observations. Our findings reveal that refugees who felt more welcome in the host country were less likely to have high language difficulties. Conversely, refugees who faced high language difficulties were less likely to feel welcome in the host country. Despite the aforementioned, refugees in Lebanon felt less welcomed in their host country, even though they faced lower language difficulties. Therefore, our study reveals that the successful integration of refugee students in the host country requires comprehensive efforts at various levels. This comprehensive approach includes creating inclusive educational environments and equitable policies that promote a sense of belonging while also addressing language comprehension challenges among refugee students.