Refugeeship as a space of educational trajectories for Ukrainian schoolchildren: factors, barriers, and opportunities

The article explores the phenomenon of educational adaptation among Ukrainian school-aged refugees who were forced to leave Ukraine due to russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and relocate to various European Union countries. The research focuses on the educational trajectories of displaced children, analyzed within the broader context of transnational mobility. The study examines the social, cultural, and institutional factors influencing their integration into European educational systems. Particular attention is given to the barriers and resources that shape adaptation processes both within school environments and in extracurricular settings. Methodologically, the study is based on a qualitative research design and was implemented through a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews with parents and refugee schoolchildren. Empirical data were collected in 2023 and include 18 interviews with parents and 6 with adolescents residing in nine different European countries. Based on the analysis of the interviews, a typology of educational trajectories was developed to capture both successful adaptation cases and those marked by difficulties or educational disintegration. Key factors that facilitate integration include the child’s age at the time of displacement, level of foreign language proficiency, access to extracurricular activities, parenting style, and the presence of emotional support from teachers and a psychologically safe school climate. In contrast, barriers to effective adaptation were identified as language difficulties, double academic workload (in both the host country and Ukrainian distance schooling), social isolation within refugee peer groups, limited access to qualified psychological support, and the overall instability of future life plans. The study also documents tensions between the educational aspirations of children and their parents, particularly with regard to future residence choices, the possibility of returning to Ukraine, or pursuing higher education abroad.