Schooling as Part of Arrival Infrastructures: Ukrainian Refugee Children’s Experiences of School as an Integration Environment

Abstract

The article examines school as an integration environment from the perspective of Ukrainian refugee children, as part of broader arrival infrastructures. Eight students from grades 3–6 shared their experiences of the Finnish school with us. We analyzed them using a holistic educational integration model focusing on social, emotional, and learning-related needs. The results largely reflect the positive experiences of Ukrainian children in the Finnish school and as learners, which creates a good foundation for successful integration. The most important factors promoting integration are meaningful relationships with other migrant students (bonding) and local children (bridging). Meeting the needs of refugee students requires listening to their experiences and positively recognizing their perceived identity; without this, integration measures may remain ineffective and alienate children from Finnish society. Factors that hinder integration include a lack of social relationships, language barriers, and a failure to take individual needs into account. Our findings emphasize the importance of two-way integration in educational integration environments and, more broadly, in arrival infrastructures – a principle that is currently being weakened in Finnish integration policy. In terms of responding to the needs of refugee children, listening to their own contextual experiences appears to be of primary importance.