“The Schools Try, But...”: A Holistic Perspective on the Social Adaptation of Ukrainian Refugee Students in Czech Schools

HLAĎO, Petr, Kateřina LOJDOVÁ, Jana OBROVSKÁ, Klára ŠEĎOVÁ, Tomáš LINTNER, Martin FICO and Oksana Yuriyivna STUPAK. “The Schools Try, But...”: A Holistic Perspective on the Social Adaptation of Ukrainian Refugee Students in Czech Schools. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction. London, England: Elsevier, 2024, vol. 2024, No 48, p. 1-18. ISSN 2210-6561. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2024.100854.

Basic information

• Original name: “The Schools Try, But...”: A Holistic Perspective on the Social Adaptation of Ukrainian Refugee Students in Czech Schools
• Authors: HLAĎO, Petr, Kateřina LOJDOVÁ, Jana OBROVSKÁ, Klára ŠEĎOVÁ, Tomáš LINTNER, Martin FICO and Oksana Yuriyivna STUPAK.
• Edition: Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, London, England, Elsevier, 2024, 2210-6561.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 50300 5.3 Education
• Country of publisher: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 1.900 in 2022
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2024.100854
• Keywords in English: school adaptation; social adaptation; psychological adaptation; assimilation; integration; refugee students
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Czech Republic faced an unprecedented influx of Ukrainian refugees. This presented an immediate challenge for Czech schools. The present research aims to examine the social adaptation of Ukrainian students in Czech schools from the holistic perspective of headteachers, teachers, parents, and the students themselves. We conducted semi-structured interviews with these actors from six lower secondary schools that enrolled the largest influx of Ukrainian refugee students throughout the 2022/2023 academic year. The analysis included 58 interviews that were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. According to Berry’s model of acculturation, the results show the tension between assimilation and integration. School actors and parents understand assimilation as the goal of social adaptation; however, assimilation can encounter challenges from the importance of ethnicity for students, the level of the Czech language, and the approach to friendship with Czech classmates. The process of students’ social adaptation is further influenced by the mode in which the students find themselves (openness to friendship, utilitarian friendships, and (self-)isolation) and the approach of the teachers (intervening, doubtful and inattentive non-intervening).

Links

• LX22NPO5101, research and development project: Name: Národní institut pro výzkum socioekonomických dopadů nemocí a systémových rizik (Acronym: SYRI)

Investor: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR, 5.1 EXCELES