Refugee Student Perspectives on Educators’ Role in Fostering Resilience in U.S. Schools

This qualitative study focused on five individuals who arrived in the United States either as refugees from conflict areas or as asylum seekers already residing in the country. The refugees were from Afghanistan, and the asylum seekers were from Iran. The researchers employed a phenomenological approach to conduct in-depth interviews with refugees, asylum seekers, and parents of such students, all of whom had experienced attending school after their arrival in the United States. The research question explored the role of teachers, instructors, and professors in fostering resilience among refugee students. Consistent with existing literature, the findings indicated that the teachers' role in supporting resilience was mixed: Some teachers were supportive, while others were not. Given the impact teachers on refugee students' resilience, the study provided multiple recommendations for teachers and school administrators to better support refugee students.