Forcibly Displaced Learning: The Educational Journey of Refugee Children From Central America and Mexico at the U.S. Border

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 2:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Engaging Visual Data, Inquiry, and Storytelling (Table 1)

Abstract

Learning is a constant factor in the lives of migrant children despite formal schooling being frequently interrupted during the displacement and migration phases. This study explores the informal and formal learning experiences of forcibly displaced children from Central America and Mexico while in transit.
The data for the study was collected using storytelling and filmmaking activities with a group of ten children, ages 8 to 10, who attended a school for refugees in Mexico. This study concretely analyzes how the films co-created reflect the narratives that help children make sense of their migration journey. In addition to this, I produced an animated documentary based on a selection of testimonials and the films created and voiced by the children.

Author

• Lucia Alvarado Cantero, University of California - Santa Cruz