Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion Among Asian Refugee Students in U.S. Public Schools

• In Event: What Does It Really Mean to Be "Asian"?

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores how Asian refugee students perceive inclusion and exclusion and negotiate between these concepts within U.S. public schools in a metropolitan area. Five Asian refugees participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to better understand the Asian refugee students’ school experiences, and the data were analyzed using constant comparison analysis, classical content analysis, and versus coding. Findings indicated that Asian refugee students felt more inclusion from their same refugee peer groups and felt more exclusion from their non-refugee peer groups. In particular, Asian refugee students who had strong aspirations of college attempted more negotiations between inclusion and exclusion in schools.

Author

• Bola Sohn, The University of Texas - Austin