This ongoing study examines the current English language and literacy support provided for refugee-background students (RBS) in regional New South Wales (NSW) to facilitate their integration into mainstream academic classes. The successful integration of refugees into the NSW educational system is argued to be crucial to facilitate their integration into Australian society (NSW Department of Education, 2018). However, little is known about the provision of English language and literacy support in the public high schools of regional NSW, despite the crucial role that these schools play in developing the English language proficiency and literacy of students. This study therefore aims to investigate the current support provided for RBS, including good practices and the challenges faced in supporting their English language and literacy needs of RBS in the public high schools of regional NSW. 

The study also aims to explore the multiple layers of context surrounding the current English language and literacy support provided for refugee-background students in the public high schools of regional NSW for a holistic investigation of the research topic. These layers of context, which are identified via Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1979), include the following: state policies, school-based strategies, classroom-level practices and the lived experiences of refugee-background students. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological framework (1979) is employed as the conceptual framework of this study as it allows for the exploration of multiple perspectives and the multi-layered factors influencing the current English language and literacy support provided for RBS in the public high schools of regional NSW. The framework consists of four ecological systems: the micro-, meso-, exo- and macro- systems. The microsystem in the study is represented by the classroom environment, which is the students' most immediate surrounding in school. The mesosystem, on the other hand, is represented by the school environment, including the structures, norms and practices of the school. The exosystem encompasses the official policies at the school, including cultural and social norms in the selected regional town in NSW, and societal perceptions towards refugees in the respective communities. To access information on the various factors operating in the respective ecological systems, a wide range of data collection methods will be employed. 

The research questions of this study are as follows: 

1. How are refugee-background students and regionality represented in policies related to the provision of English language and literacy support in NSW? 

2. How does the representation of RBS and regionality impact targeted resource provision in the policies related to English language and literacy education in NSW? 

3. What are the experiences of school leaders, teachers and EAL/D teachers in the selected public high school in regional NSW in providing English language and literacy support for 

refugee-background students in the classroom? 

4. What are the English language and literacy learning experiences of refugee-background students in the classrooms of the selected public high school in regional NSW? 

5. How do external stakeholders view policy and practice for English language and literacy support for refugee-background students in the public high schools of regional NSW?

This study employs a qualitative approach to explore the English language and literacy support for RBS at the policy and institutional levels. A case study methodology also forms the methodological framing of this study as it provides the opportunity to gain holistic, in-depth and detailed insights on the research topic (Yin, 2009) to enable a ‘thick description’ of the issue investigated. This study is located within an interpretivist paradigm, which views knowledge as subjective to individual interpretations, constructed via ‘interactions between humans and their world, and are developed and transmitted in a social context’ (Crotty, 1998, p. 12). This epistemological approach enables an understanding of the issue investigated from multiple perspectives, while exploring interactions among individuals, alongside the ‘historical and cultural contexts’ of the study (Creswell, 2009, p. 8). Data collection methods employed in the study include an analysis of state policies related to English language and literacy education in NSW, case study in a regional town and semi-structured interviews with external stakeholders, high school teachers, school leaders, refugee-background students and their parents. The policy analysis conducted in phase one of data collection employed Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA; Fairclough, 1995) and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL; Halliday, 1978) frameworks which enables a focus on the textual-linguistic features of the text, while also allowing for an investigation of the social and political contexts that shape and are shaped by the discourse analysed (Fairclough, 1995; Halliday, 1978). Following that, interviews with external stakeholders who played a critical role in overseeing policy enactments, specifically the ground-level implementation of state and school policies related to the provision of English language and literacy support for RBS in regional NSW. The study employed semi-structured interviews to ensure that significant themes of the study are addressed while allowing flexibility in the order of the questions (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2013). The next phase of data collection involves conducting fieldwork (case study) in a regional town in NSW, to provide greater insight on the good practices and challenges of English language and literacy education for RBS through the lens of the researcher, and participants of the study, including school leaders, teachers, RBS and their parents via semi-structured interviews.

Findings from the policy analysis and external stakeholder interviews highlight the limited representation of RBS as a distinct student cohort with specific language and literacy needs in current policies, and the need for the recognition of the heterogenous nature of RBS, to ensure that RBS from all backgrounds receive targeted support and intervention to ensure their successful English language and literacy outcomes. In addition, the findings also indicate the lack of intersectional understanding across the four policies, as the acknowledgement of the Department’s responsibility in addressing the distinct language and literacy needs of RBS is only evident in policies related to multicultural education in NSW, while absent in Department-wide policies. The findings also suggest that the Department’s espoused commitment to excel as an education system and provide quality education overshadows the commitment to provide equitable education to all students, including RBS. Findings from the policy analysis and interviews highlight the need for a more accurate representation of RBS in policies, and for greater intersectional understanding across policy documents addressing the language and literacy needs of RBS in NSW. The findings also point to the need for a more accurate representation of equity in state-level policy documents. This study is significant as it provides insight on the current support provided for RBS in a regional town, where there is limited English language support for this student students. The findings from the study highlights issues in policies, as well as the support provided at the institutional level, including good practices and challenges, consequently discussing ways to optimise the current support provided for RBS in regional towns. The findings can therefore be applicable to other regional towns with a significant enrolment of RBS to optimise the current support provided for this student cohort.

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