Seventeenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

This paper describes findings from a qualitative research study conducted on Afghan refugee women attending a Modesto Junior College in California. The purpose of the study was to examine the motivations that bring the Afghan refugee women to the college, the challenges they encounter, and the resources that help them persist. With a narrative approach, multiple interviews were conducted with four Afghan women refugees. Data analysis revealed the women’s deep belief in education and its value. The participants’ narratives shed light on the challenges the women experienced in Afghanistan prior to immigrating and in the US while adjusting to a new educational system. Research reveals resources that Afghan women refugees need in order to persist in a higher education institution: their family, community, and college. The women’s personal strengths such as positivity, motivation, intelligence, persistence, and generosity also surfaced in the study. Learning about refugee students’ experiences in colleges provides an opportunity for educational institutions to support these students equitably. One of the implications of this research study was to include refugee students in the institutional data dashboards. Without it, refugee students are invisible on the campuses, and it is difficult to provide support to them. Another implication is to provide training to teachers and administrators to support them in assisting refugee students. Drawing on the participants’ need to belong to a community, it is suggested to create hubs on campuses where refugee students could socialize and exchange information on resources.