I want my research to give refugee students a voice says University of Sunderland graduating teacher
“I want my research to give refugee students a voice” - the words of graduating University of Sunderland teacher Kini Teesdale.
As part of her MA thesis, Kini carried out research into the resilience and motivation of Syrian refugee students during the 2024 Lebanese conflict.
She explored how young people continue to pursue education in the face of significant adversity.
Many Syrians fled to Lebanon to escape the devastating civil war, violence, and persecution in Syria, seeking safety and basic necessities in the neighbouring country.
Kini was supported in her research by Alsama Project, a UK-registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) charity, dedicated to transforming refugee education in Lebanon.
Through the organisation, Kini was able to spend time at one of the Alsama Education Centres in Lebanon where she learned about their educational system and have some of the students there take part in her research.
Kini’s year-long study revealed that educational spaces can act as place of healing and can foster resilience and motivation in students, acting as protective spaces, particularly through cultivating a strong and caring community which was central to the students’ stories of how they overcame later challenges.
Kini, 29, said: “No refugee student should be considered a lost cause due to age, years out of education or lack of formal schooling.
“My study found that students' personal and academic trajectories can be transformed during their teenage years. It also illustrates how supportive and caring educational environments that deliver high quality learning, increase the value that students place on education, and act as a protective factor in aiding them to maintain it during challenging times.”
Now, Kini, who recently graduated from the University with a Distinction in Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion (DL) MA, is hoping her findings will go on to be published and “help address a significant gap in conflict research” and that both her research and future practice will inform policy and practice in refugee education.
Kini said: “I want my research to give refugee students a voice, because they’re often left out or treated as less important in studies.
“There’s a big gap in research that really focuses on their experiences and lets them play an active role, especially in Lebanon in 2024/25. I also hope education providers can use what I’ve found to create systems that boost motivation and resilience, so students can keep learning even when life gets tough.
“My recommendations come straight from refugee students themselves, based on what helped them succeed – something that’s often missing in policies and research.”
Kini will carry on teaching with the aim of one day becoming a SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator/Disabilities Coordinator) or school counsellor role while continuing her humanitarian work.
Kini added: “My dream is to one day combine the two and open up an education project in for refugee youth with special educational needs and disabilities.”