Refugee and immigrant background students are facing different difficulties and barriers

during their time at school, is a major issue in Australians schooling and educational system
in the world. Students having problems to catch up with the lesson content, they have poor
communication and literacy skill due to lack of understanding English, hence they cannot
communicate with the others, catch up with the class flow and participate in the classroom
activities. These issues create big impacts on student emotion, social and specially affected
on their academic performance. Therefore, it is significantly for all the educators to conduct
more research in order to improve their understanding about the problem which is creating a
better environment for refugee and immigrant background students. The results from these
researches will be the foundation for the teachers to develop better approaches and strategies
that improve refugee and immigrant background students academic learning outcomes. The
purpose of this essay will be focused on comparing and evaluating the two different
researches regard to refugee and immigrant background students issues on adjusting to their
new environment at school, its impact on their learning outcomes, the implications and
programs for educators working with immigrant students. For instance, the first article is
Refugee action support: Crossing borders in preparing pre-service teachers for literacy
teaching in secondary schools in Greater Western Sydney by Loshini Naidoo (2012). Naidoo
(2012) research investigate the disadvantages that immigrant student has to face daily at
school, promote the Refugee Action Support (RAS) which helps student who recently arrived
to Australia on their communication and literacy skills as well as building up and equip pre-
teachers to encounter student learning needs. In the other hand, the second research is from
America Supporting Immigrant Students in a Newcomer High School: A Case Study.
Bilingual Research Journal and it is written by Afra Ahmed Hersi and Jennifer Scaturo
Watkinson (2012) . Hersi and Watkinson article focuses on the learning needs of immigrant
students, examines the effective of support immigrant students programs and discussion of
implication for teaching practice focus on non-English background students. This essay will
present the comparison and evolution through the two article goals, literature reviews,
metrologies in order to find connections and contrasts to improve the current teaching
practice.

The purpose of the first article written by Naidoo ( 2012) is examine the disadvantages that
refugee background students who have problem with communication and literacy skills,
experience through their high school period , also the difficulties of how they are trying to fit
in their new environment. Also Naidoo (2012) article introduces about the goals of RAS
program which is teacher giving extra helps and supports to the refugee students through
tutoring after school. The RAS program goal is focusing on building up student learning
skills in numeracy and literacy as well as develop their social skills that they need of
participating in school works. Furthermore, RAS also aims to increase pre-service teacher
teaching practice toward different challenging issues in order to raising their awareness and
understanding student learning need in diverse classroom. Similar to the first research, Hersi
and Watkinson (2012) research brings up the same consideration on the issues about lacking
understand language of refugee students at school. However, Hersi and Watkinson also
develop their research to focus the important of teacher-student professional relationship,
how it impacts on student learning performance, hence take it into consideration to achieve a
better implications for working with immigrants students. As same as Naidoos (2012)
article, Hersi and Watkinsons (2012) research introduces the reader about the school where
specially for immigrant students who need special needs on language skills and learning
needs. Most important, two research highlight that it is extremely significant that every
school take this issue seriously, in demand for research into improving, create a better
environment for students, also support educators teaching practice and understand to help
students individually who come from diverse background.

Both researches have provided descriptive literature review that introduced to the audience to
pay attention on the major problem relation to improve the education needs for refugee
background student and express the information from different research on the related topic.
The two researches has mention that on the limitation of their research, which can be the
foundation and motivate for the next research in the future , also comprehensive literature
review support the writer to describe the topic as well as the highlight gap of previous study
toward a designed research (Gall, Gall & Borg , 2015). Naidoo (2012) and Hersi and
Watkinson ( 2012) clearly state that there has really small amount of research and current
student that that look into the issues of policy, teachers practice and the refuge background
students experience attend the programs and the school. This is because of lacking
researches were conducted on this particular issue (Naidoo, 2012) . In the other hand, Hersi
and Watkinsons (2012) research explores the connection between the teacher and students
where teacher with critical ethic of caring develop a knowledge of how diverse
background impact on positive academic learning needs and approach to enrich opportunities
for students. Naidoo (2012) mentions service-learning that teacher can improve their
pedagogy which integrate professional learning experience and academic curriculum
where student can increase their learning toward communities. However , Eyler ( 2002) does
argue that service-learning will not be successful if the educator do not know how to
effectively apply it. Overall, the two researchs literature review has achieved their similar
goal by identifying the gaps of the issues with the previous research, however it is limited by
there were non of articulated pedagogical strategies to inform teaching and learning
(Matthews, 2008)

Both researches papers provide and discuss their methodologies visibly in great detail, it
helps the researcher easy to evaluate and reader to catch up with the flow of the studies.
Naidoos (2012) using the method of semi-structure individual and group interview. The
school where remain anonymous because of confidentiality and was identified that
successfully programs which support the needs of refugee student background. Naidoos
(2012) study uses focus group interview for the students of refugee background who have
involved in the program to collect their opinions and how effective of the program impacts on
their academic outcomes. Focus group interview is helpful when the RAS student participate
in the interview, listen to the others thinking hence they can respond, express feeling that may
not merge if they were individuals interviewed (Gall, Gall & Borg , 2015).. Furthermore,
Naidoos (2012) study provides individuals interview with The Principle and/or Deputy
Principal, the programs organizing teacher, teachers of RAS student and RAS tutors who are
WSU pre-service teacher. The research mainly pay attention on the impact of the program on
RAS student as well as how it supports teacher and pre-service teacher on their teaching
practice. However, Naidoo (2012) study failed to specify the exact number of students,
teachers or pre-service teacher as well as where the interviews were hold, how long is the
interview. Hence, lacking of information and data can lead the reader misunderstand the topic
and decrease valuable of the studys research.

As similar to Naidoo (2012) study, Hersi and Watkinson (2012) study use qualitative case
study by providing semi-structured interview and observations focus on activities and
interaction that occurred inside and outside classroom. However, Hersi and Watkinson (2012)
failed identify whether it was individual or focus group interview, this somehow reduces the
researchs validity. In contrast of Naidoos study, Hersi and Watkinson (2012) carefully
provided the data in exact detail, six refugee background students had enrolled at Lake Ridge
International High School when just moved to America from Africa who in age from 16 to 22
and were academically successful. Also, Hersi and Watkinson (2012) interviewed three
teachers who were supportive and instrumental to the six student success. Both studies
mainly focus on the impact of the program on students learning outcomes, however , Hersi
and Watkinson study pays attention more on the interaction and positive teacher-student
relationship and how teacher understanding about cultural, diversity can be contributed to
improve students outcomes. Furthermore, Hersi and Watkinson (2012) study use emergent
and iterative process to analyse the data where using a lot of reading and organising codes
and themes and sort them in to higher level categories towards the interview and
observations. This step helps researchers acknowledge and raise awareness at the issues and
take it into considering and further attention of the phenomenon studied (Hersi & Watkinson,
2012)

Findings by Naidoo (2012) indicated that refugee background student is facing a lot of
disadvantages school, also the important of RAS program on help refuge and immigrant
student develop their confidence and status within the school environment. This findings
indicated that bringing parent on board that increase the effectiveness of the program and also
help empowering and giving more opportunities for refugee students who lack of language
(Naidoo, 2012). Furthermore, Naidoos (2012) findings showed that the RAS program is not
only helps students, it also help pre-service teaching to improve on their teaching practice as
well as the program prepares them for the real life problem and give them chances to
experience and learn about the diversity , equity in the classroom. Additionally, RAS
program develop teacher understand about their responsibilities of differentiate ting to meet
specific learning needs of students and produce and maintain safe and supportive learning
environment ( AITSL, 2016, Standard 1.2, Standard 4).

Findings by Hersi and Watkinson (2012) indicated the similar issues of difficulties refugee
student facing at school due to lack of language. Furthermore the studied indicated the
focused mission context of servings the needs of English language learners where the school
responsible for refugee students learning needs that meed the educational standards in
numeracy, English language art, science while they are developing their English
communication and literacy skills. However in the contrast with Naidoo (2012), these
finding showed that students benefited from teacher who have had strong experiences and a
strong ethic of caring. In saying of Strong ethic of caring, teachers who were interview
mention that they set high expectation, giving extra support and forester students potential.
Major different from Naidoo (2012) research, the program in Hersi and Watkinsons (2012)
study is not a tutor centre after school, this program were developed and being used during
normal class time. Hence teachers characters, and teaching practices are critically
significant to the success of the schools polices and indeed the students achievement.
Naidoos (2012) findings failed to mention the responsible of understanding culture in the
classroom , findings by Hersi and Watkinson (2012) states that teachers have to be cultural
broker who can lead students to break the difficulties of adaption to the new cultural and
school activities. These findings states that teachers who find that relational enjoyment is a
significant factor increase refugee students academic learning outcome.

The implication of the studies by Naidoo( 2012) and Hersi and Watkinson (2012) were
discussed through teaching practice. Both of study highlight the importance of difficulties
experienced refugee students in making transition to high school. It is in demand for
professional development in teaching students who are struggle with English and raise the
awareness of this issues. For particular, Naidoo( 2012) emphasizes that through RAS school
case study, school-community-university partnerships schools can improve refugee students
status by create a context in school where the student can comfortable share their skill, their
culture and person experience , with their group and their teacher. Moreover, Hersi and
Watkinson (2012) study suggests that teacher can create opportunities for student can
practice their foundation well as advancing their academic learning by leading the
educational system on students behalf. Additionally, both articles recommend teacher
spend more time to get to know their student by involving in person conversation hence that
create positive teacher and student professional relationship as well as students can practice
on their communication skills. Both article have delivered insightful perceptions in helping
refugee student with problem of language.

In conclusion, both researches had different approaches in studying the problem of

disadvantages of refugee and immigrant background students. However, both of researches
had successfully related the findings to teaching practice that would be useful into improving
effective pedagogies and strategies for student who have diverse background and in
disadvantaged stage of language. Importantly, Naidoo (2012) and Hersi and Watkinson
(2012) strongly believe that it is critically significant to conduct further research in this
problem. Hence, these program models must be ongoing projects in order to it can be
improved and adjusted which can be help every individual student.
Reference:

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2014) Retrieved October 18, 2016
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-
teachers/standards/list

Eyler, J. (2002). Reflection: Linking Service and LearningLinking Students and

Communities. Journal of Social Issues, 58(3), 517-534.

Gall, M.D., Gall, J.P., & Borg, W.R. (2015) Applying educational research: how to read, do,
and use research to solve problems of practice. (7th ed.) Hoboken, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.

Hersi, A., & Watkinson, J. (2012). Supporting Immigrant Students in a Newcomer High
School: A Case Study. Bilingual Research Journal, 35(1), 98.

Naidoo, L. (2012). Refugee action support: Crossing borders in preparing pre-service

teachers for literacy teaching in secondary schools in Greater Western Sydney.
International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 7(3), 266-274.

Matthews, J. (2008). Schooling and settlement: Refugee education in Australia.International

Studies in Sociology of Education, 18(1), 31-45.