Educational Challenges and Opportunities among African Refugee Students in the Australian Education System: A Scoping Review

Education plays a critical role in the resettlement process of young refugees in Australia. This scoping review examines the Australian literature on the educational experiences of African students from refugee backgrounds. Specifically reviewing 10 articles published between 2001 and 2021 revealed that these students experienced educational challenges related to literacy and racism whilst maintaining high academic expectations. Guided by Putnam's social capital theory (2000), analysis of findings also indicates that: a) social networks that build social capital in rural communities may not offer the same opportunities to students in urban areas, and b) for students to successfully develop social capital, there is a need to reduce social inequalities such as racial discrimination. This paper suggests that attention be directed to reducing social inequalities in schools and communities and to promoting school-based mechanisms that enhance the active use of social capital by students from minority groups.