Portraits of young refugee women’s identities, experiences, and beliefs in relation to college-going
Date
2023-07-31
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Repository Usage Stats
views
downloads
Citation Stats
Attention Stats
Abstract
<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>This study aims to explore the stories of two young refugee women, Sue Mar and Amora, and how their adolescent identities, experiences, and beliefs, partially shaped by their English teacher, helped pave their paths to higher education.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>This study is guided by the lens of critical literacy as “a way of being and doing” (Vasquez <jats:italic>et al.</jats:italic>, 2019). The authors chose portraiture, a participant-centered methodology, as a response to the historical marginalization of refugees, to bring their voices to the forefront (Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis, 1997). They draw from interviews conducted with Sue Mar and Amora, document analysis, and an interview with the English teacher.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>In Sue Mar and Amora’s portraits, aspiration and determination are seen as primary factors in their college-going. In addition, Sue Mar and Amora were propelled by their English teacher’s support through the cultivation of a loving relationship, high expectations, and critical pedagogical practices. Their family and community fostered beliefs about the power and potential of education, and other refugees served as important role models.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Research limitations/implications</jats:title> <jats:p>Researchers should explore refugee students’ experiences accessing higher education.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Practical implications</jats:title> <jats:p>English educators should connect literature to the lived experiences of their students to show that they value their students’ knowledge and past experiences.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Social implications</jats:title> <jats:p>Policymakers should consider the role that community colleges play in the lives of refugee students and should support programs including tuition reduction for refugee students.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>As only 6% of refugees currently attend college (UNHCR, 2023), it is essential to understand factors that contributed to students’ college-going.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
Type
Department
Description
Provenance
Subjects
Citation
Permalink
Published Version (Please cite this version)
Publication Info
Mann, Jennifer C, and Alison McGlinn Turner (2023). Portraits of young refugee women’s identities, experiences, and beliefs in relation to college-going. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 22(3). pp. 368–380. 10.1108/etpc-07-2022-0085 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/28790.
This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
Scholars@Duke
Jennifer Mann
Jennifer C. Mann, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, where she supports education research with a focus on students from immigrant and refugee backgrounds and equity-centered instructional practices. She currently supports research efforts on the BELLA (Bridging English Language Learning and Academics) projects, which are dedicated to designing and testing a professional learning program that integrates an asset-based framework into the use of high-impact instructional strategies for multilingual learners. Additionally, Dr. Mann teaches Child Policy Research courses.
As part of Duke’s Program in Education, Dr. Mann supports the strategic growth of Duke TeachHouse, a living and learning community for early career teachers. In collaboration with TeachHouse leadership, she contributes to program development, funding acquisition, and capacity building—helping to expand the program’s sustainability and impact. Her work focuses on identifying new funding pathways, strengthening long-term planning, and deepening support for equity-minded teacher leaders across North Carolina.
In addition, Dr. Mann serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the Program in Education, where she teaches Instructional Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners to Master of Arts in Teaching candidates.
With over 19 years of experience as an educator and teacher educator, Dr. Mann has taught high school English, elementary and adult English as a Second Language (ESL), and both undergraduate and graduate pre-service teachers. In 2023, she earned her Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences from North Carolina State University, with a specialization in Literacy and English Language Arts.
Dr. Mann’s research interests include immigrant and refugee students, teacher professional learning, and participatory qualitative methodologies.
Areas of Expertise
- K-12 Education
- ESL Education
- English Language Arts
- Refugee & Immigrant Students
- Teacher Education
- Qualitative Research
Unless otherwise indicated, scholarly articles published by Duke faculty members are made available here with a CC-BY-NC (Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial) license, as enabled by the Duke Open Access Policy. If you wish to use the materials in ways not already permitted under CC-BY-NC, please consult the copyright owner. Other materials are made available here through the author’s grant of a non-exclusive license to make their work openly accessible.