West African families' experiences and perspectives regarding the Australian education system: An ethnographic case study in Western Australia

Author Identifier

Davida Aba Mensima Asante-Nimako

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1172-4093

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Doctor Of Philosophy

School

School of Education

First Supervisor

Dr Anne Thwaite

Second Supervisor

Dr Rozita Dass

Abstract

School experiences of migrants in host countries are crucial to their overall success in life. In Australia, most studies that explore the circumstances of African migrants are limited to North and South African people, especially refugees from these regions. Therefore, there is a lack of evidence on the unique experiences of West African migrants concerning the Australian education system. West African people have a similar high school final examination within the region called the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), which is similar to the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) awarded to students who have successfully completed two years of senior secondary schooling and have achieved the required standard. West African people share similar linguistic and cultural backgrounds which are quite distinct from those of other parts of Africa. Based on this unique background, it is unclear if West African people in WA have different experiences of settling into Western Australian education compared to other regions of Africa. This study explored West African families’ experiences and perspectives regarding the education system in Western Australia (WA). The families came from diverse migrant backgrounds, including refugees, family streams, skilled migrants, and international students. The study also considered migrants of different visa categories: citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents. A qualitative ethnographic case study approach, and interpretivist paradigms, guided the study, which involved five West African families in WA, including Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian and Togolese. At least three members of each family had been, or were, in the WA education system at the time of the study. Conversations, interviews, participant observations, documents such as family books, photographs, a community forum and audio and video recordings were used over a seven-month period to explore the participants’ experiences and perspectives of the Australian education system. The conceptual framework used in this research was underpinned by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The data were transcribed, coded and analysed inductively, prior to linking it to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. The findings revealed diverse experiences across educational levels, grouped into five main themes: education experiences in WA; being and belonging; racism and discrimination; linguistic repertoire; and sociocultural issues. The education experiences participants faced included issues relating to cultural awareness, a lack of representation in learning resources, cultural differences in the curriculum and society, and parenting challenges borne out of the differences in the WA school system compared to those of the participants’ home countries. Social components, iii including hair, skin colour and friendship, influenced their sense of belonging, as did the existence of the Organization of African Communities, WA. The study recorded the diversity of participant experiences, which showed evidence of verbal, subtle and physical racial discrimination. Rapid Australian speech affected participants both in society and in the classroom. In addition, the classroom context of unintelligible accents and indiscernible words affected participants’ spelling and performance. Despite these experiences, the resilience of participants was demonstrated through their faith and nature. The findings suggest that various linguistic, cultural and systemic challenges influence the experience of West African people in WA, which may conceal their full potential in education and society. The findings also offer informative data to the Western Australian Department of Education, particularly educators teaching West African people in Australian schools and at the tertiary level. This research highlights the importance of cultural competence and professional development in the education system in WA. Because the participants in this study represent people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, this research is likely to be of great benefit in helping teachers engage more effectively with migrants. The study has implications for both educational and social practices and policies, by emphasising the importance of educators’ cultural competence, which may enhance the opportunities for migrants to settle quickly in WA and flourish holistically.

DOI

10.25958/3nv4-zq25

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Access to this thesis is embargoed until 13th September 2028.

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