Credentials, Perpetual “Foreignness”, and Feeling out of Place: Three Stories of Resilience from Teachers of Refugee Background

Shyla González-Doğan (), Adnan Turan (), Setrag Hovsepian and Dilraba Anayatova
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Shyla González-Doğan: Educational Studies, Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Adnan Turan: Educational Policy and Evaluation Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Setrag Hovsepian: Educational Policy and Evaluation Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Dilraba Anayatova: Educational Policy and Evaluation Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: This qualitative research project seeks to examine the obstacles faced by educators who come to the U.S. as refugees. The three participants in this study are from Iraq, Sudan, and Turkey. While there are similarities between them, there are also differences in terms of race, sex, and religion. While this work examines practical barriers, such as those related to credentialing, it also considers how these educators negotiate their identity in the workplace. Using labeling theory, the impact of the category of refugee and how that label impacts work life is interrogated. Partially as a result of the labels associated with being a refugee, findings indicate that, for educators from refugee backgrounds, there are significant barriers to credentialing, their knowledge and experience from outside of the U.S. is rarely taken seriously in many workplace environments, and, consequently, a lack of confidence can easily develop. Despite all of this, educators from refugee backgrounds often have extensive experience in education and can more easily connect to diverse student populations and their families. Suggestions for how best to expand the hiring of educators from refugee backgrounds are provided, as well as implications for future research.

Keywords: refugee; education; teacher credentialing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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