From arrival in New Zealand refugee students are disadvantaged as
they will often not have had the experience of formal education. In New
Zealand, the mismatch of age and placement in classes contributes to
educational failure. Additionally, Somali and other refugee-background
parents are often poorly engaged with their children’s schools and with
their education. This article reports on the findings of an evaluation of a student-centred approach to improving educational achievement, the
Somali-led Refugee Student Catch-Up class for primary, intermediate
and secondary school students in the Auckland region. A participatory
action research approach was used for the evaluation study which
included: interviews with programme leaders and teachers; a survey of
student educational outcomes; focus groups with students; and
classroom observations. The study found that the catch-up programme
resulted in improvement in students’ marks in English, Mathematics and
Science. Students of all ages were consistently regular attenders at the
weekend catch-up programme. The study concluded that the catch-up
programme had succeeded in improving student achievement, notably at
the secondary school levels. Somali community involvement was a
critical factor in maintaining leadership, voluntary support and parent
and student engagement.
- Citation: Warsame, M., Mortensen, A. & Janif, J. (2014). Improving Educational Achievement for Students From Somali Backgrounds in Auckland, New Zealand: An Evaluation of a SchoolCatch–Up Programme. Australasian Review of African Studies, 35(2), 25-44.
- Creator: Mahad Warsame, Annette Mortensen and Jennifer Janif
- Language: English
- Publisher: THE AUSTRALASIAN REVIEW OF AFRICAN STUDIES VOLUME 35 NUMBER 2 DECEMBER 2014
- Year: 2014-12-01
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