Examining refugee educational inclusion in the UK: opportunities and challenges for Syrian students in Greater Glasgow

Nouraldeen, Munther (2025) Examining refugee educational inclusion in the UK: opportunities and challenges for Syrian students in Greater Glasgow. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis examines the educational inclusion of Syrian students in mainstream schools within the Greater Glasgow area, focusing on two critical aspects: (1) understanding the opportunities and challenges related to Syrian students’ educational inclusion, and (2) examining their inclusion in terms of presence, participation, and achievement. Syrian families and school educators in Greater Glasgow were invited to participate, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 parents and 15 children, as well as an online survey completed by 6 school educators.

The Capability approach by Nussbaum, focusing on human development, provides the comprehensive philosophical framework for this study. Unterhalter’s concept of equity in education, which includes Equity from Below, Equity from the Middle, and Equity from Above, is also incorporated. In addition, this study utilizes the Index for Inclusion developed by Booth and Ainscow, alongside key documents from the UNESCO: ‘Reaching Out to All Learners: A Resource Pack for Supporting Inclusive Education’ and ‘A Guide for Ensuring Inclusion and Equity in Education’. Collectively, these concepts and documents form the framework for analysing the study's findings, demonstrating their relationship to or deviation from existing literature on inclusive education, the education of Syrian children, and refugee education. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke's methodology.

The study's findings reveal a positive outlook on the educational experiences of Syrian students in Scotland. Syrian students enjoyed attending school and also harboured a genuine liking for both their schools and teachers. Parents expressed contentment with school offerings, affirming that schools effectively fulfilled their responsibilities. However, the English language barrier and insufficient measures to mitigate it pose significant challenges to the educational inclusion of Syrian students. Furthermore, disparities between the education systems of Scotland and Syria, alongside evident cultural distinctions, are apparent in the data.

Analysis of the online survey data highlighted commendable efforts by educators to address diverse learner needs in classrooms, mitigating potential challenges. However, despite these positive efforts, significant barriers to inclusive education were identified, particularly for learners from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. The lack of support and training for educators, coupled with insufficient resources and services in certain schools, emerged as significant obstacles to comprehensive educational inclusion.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: L Education > L Education (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Supervisor's Name: Alves, Dr. Ines and Moskal, Professor Marta
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-84881
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 10 Feb 2025 10:59
• Last Modified: 10 Feb 2025 10:59
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.84881
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/84881