Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the personal perceptions of the refugee community on how school leaders are creating a welcoming, trust-based educational environment for refugees and their children. Considering that a leader has the ability to sway everyone’s emotions (Goleman, 2002), it is important to consider how the refugee community may perceive school leaders. There were no studies that the researcher found that reviewed the perceptions of the refugee community regarding how a school leader was or was not creating and welcoming, trust-based environment. Therefore, the researcher chose the research question: What is the refugee community’s perception of how school leaders are creating welcoming, trust-based school environments for refugees and their children? This study, as a qualitative study, used in-depth interviews to answer the main research question and uncover common themes that may emerge from the discussion with refugee parents. Findings suggest that refugee parents feel welcome and feel they can trust school leaders when there is regular school-to-home communication in the refugee parents’ native language. Findings also suggest that refugee parents tend to respect school leaders more when they feel school leaders are supporting their child by, for example, have their child’s safety and happiness in mind. This study adds to the growing body of research on the refugee community, focusing specifically on how school leaders may be able to better enhance their ability to create a welcoming, trust-based environment for the refugee community in their school community.
Presenters
James HogueInstructional Advisor, Lincoln Intermediate Unit, Pennsylvania, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Educational Organization and Leadership
KEYWORDS
Refugee Welcoming environment Trust-based School leader/administrator
