Inquiring obstacles in the education of adult immigrants and refugees in Second Chance Schools: A case study from Greece

Abstract

In the recent years, the refugee crisis has affected Greece to a great extent, mainly because of the country’s geographical location. A large number of refugees and immigrants arrived in the country, while a number of them tried to join an educational process, in order to be included in the local communities. In the case of adults, the relevant institution in Greece that facilitates lifelong learning is the so-called Second Chance Schools. Second Chance Schools is an innovative institution targeted at individuals who, for their own reasons, have not completed compulsory education, thus giving them the opportunity to return to the education system and thereby combat the social exclusion that they are experiencing. This research enquires the obstacles that refugees and migrants have to cope with, during their studies at the Second Chance School of the city of Ioannina, Greece. The sample of our survey consists of ten adult refugees and immigrants and also four educators. The method chosen for the performance is qualitative, thus giving participants the opportunity to submit their views freely in relation to the questions they have been asked through semi-structured interviews. The data was then processed using the content analysis technique. This research aims to be useful in the future in the design of educational programs focusing on the group of adult refugees and immigrants.

Keywords: immigrant, refugee, adult education, obstacles, second chance schools.