How Refugees Accessed and Used Technology for Non-Formal Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom and Türkiye

Abstract

Refugees may be uniquely situated to benefit from Educational Technology (EdTech) because of its ability to reach students wherever they are and provide education continuity as they seek safety. Due to the protracted nature of conflicts, refugees can expect to stay abroad for many years while the conflict plays out in their home countries. This leads to problems with access to education and attainment for a variety of reasons that will be explored in detail. This study looks at how refugee children use technology to access education in the contexts of neighboring countries and resettled countries. Most refugees remain in neighboring host countries while only a very small percent of refugees are resettled into high income countries. This study also examines the impact COVID-19 had on refugee education. These topics represent gaps in academic literature. They represent under-studied topics on the use of EdTech in refugee education, especially at the primary school level.

The research questions are: (1) How is technology currently used in informal refugee education programs? and (2) How did COVID-19 affect the use of or access to technology within the refugee context? The aim of this study is to understand how refugee children at the
primary school level use technology for learning purposes. It also seeks to understand how the pandemic changed access to learning technology.