“Invisible Newcomers”: First-Generation Burmese Refugee Students Life After High School

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session One
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT056 (Wednesday)

Abstract

This study will present a retrospective case analysis of 24 Burmese refugee students—adults at time of study—who completed their secondary education at Diverse Urban High School between 2010 and 2020. It examines how their schooling shaped post–high school decisions—such as pursuing college, work, or family—through the lenses of social capital, cultural capital, and community cultural wealth (CCW). The study employs a social-ecological theoretical model to analyze these influences across micro-, meso-, exo-, and macro-levels. This research utilizes semi-structured interviews and a content analysis. Data analysis will be conducted using Atlas.ti software, employing both the inductive approach of the narrative journey and deductive approach by using the concept of the theoretical lens.

Author

• Ngo Hna, University at Buffalo - SUNY