“The Schools Try, But...”: A Holistic Perspective on the Social Adaptation of Ukrainian Refugee Students in Czech Schools
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Learning, Culture and Social Interaction |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221065612400062X |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2024.100854 |
| Keywords | school adaptation; social adaptation; psychological adaptation; assimilation; integration; refugee students |
| Attached files | |
| Description | After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Czech Republic faced an unprecedented influx of Ukrainian refugees. This presented an immediate challenge for Czech schools. The present research aims to examine the social adaptation of Ukrainian students in Czech schools from the holistic perspective of headteachers, teachers, parents, and the students themselves. We conducted semi-structured interviews with these actors from six lower secondary schools that enrolled the largest influx of Ukrainian refugee students throughout the 2022/2023 academic year. The analysis included 58 interviews that were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. According to Berry’s model of acculturation, the results show the tension between assimilation and integration. School actors and parents understand assimilation as the goal of social adaptation; however, assimilation can encounter challenges from the importance of ethnicity for students, the level of the Czech language, and the approach to friendship with Czech classmates. The process of students’ social adaptation is further influenced by the mode in which the students find themselves (openness to friendship, utilitarian friendships, and (self-)isolation) and the approach of the teachers (intervening, doubtful and inattentive non-intervening). |
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