Constraints to education or constraining education? A case study of Sudanese refugee youth in B.C. schools

This study situates Sudanese refugee teenagers within the context of multiculturalism, integration, and education debates in Canada. Through an ecological approach that takes into account pre-migration and post-migration factors at the levels of the home, school, and wider society, this research seeks to identify key barriers that prevent the full participation of Sudanese refugee students in B.C. schools. While the mainstreaming of multicultural education presents a powerful mandate for addressing societal inequalities, the experiences of Sudanese refugee youth reveal problematic trends in its implementation. In identifying the discrepancy between multicultural education in as a discourse and as practical reality, this research suggests ways in which education can become a truly transformative process for all students.