Investigating mental well-being as a predictor of language learning in refugee students

The RefugeesWellSchool Program is an initiative undertaken by the European Union to investigate preventive school-based interventions with the aim of promoting mental well-being of refugee and migrant adolescents. Five interventions are being implemented and studied across six European countries, with data collected on refugee students’ mental health problems, resilience, academic achievements, school drop-out and social support. The proposed research project will utilize mental health and academic achievement data from this program to investigate (1) whether trauma and mental health problems are negatively associated with language learning, and (2) whether mental well-being predicts success in language learning for recently arrived refugee students. The relation between the implemented preventative interventions and rates of language learning will also be explored qualitatively. Implications for Canadian refugee students and recommendations for the mobilization of acquired knowledge to a Canadian context will be discussed.

Faculty Supervisor:

Heather Henderson

Student:

Partner:

Uppsala Universitet

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: