ElmCore Journal of Educational Psychology October, 2014 | Page 11

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The Path to a Successful Future
The final step in this study was guided by the theme
‘pathways to the future’. Through an interactive artsbased activity students discussed and reflected on their
hopes for the future, as well as challenges to their
dreams of following an ideal pathway in United
States. The exercise showed that all students had
future plans of one kind or another, and they
considered education important to their future success.
Most students expected to complete high school, go on
to university and then enter the workforce. In general,
students’ plans encompassed tensions between
working for money, education, family obligations,
future expectations and present difficulties. As one
student stated: “I like school because it is the way to
my future, but I must help my family.”
The older students at each school provided more detail
about their proposed pathways than their younger
counterparts. This was perhaps because many of the
older students had previously undertaken paid work.
For example, some of the older boys spent up to five
years working menial low-paid jobs in Cairo. They
were quite focused on getting back to work again and
earning better money. Most of the older students, and
some of the younger ones, placed their personal and
work goals alongside obligations toward people
remaining in their home country or places of asylum.
They wanted to find careers that would enable them to
help society, their families and communities. Many,
however, had a limited awareness of the difficulties
involved in climbing the socio-economic ladder in a
developed country (Cassity & Gow, 2005, 2006).
Overwhelmingly, students said their overall goal was a
‘happy life’. For example a high school student said,
“I just want to get some work and have a family and
be happy.” Like him, others simply wanted peace,
security and happiness. Generally this entailed
reconnecting with loved ones and becoming part of a
family again: “I want to reach happiness in 2007”; “I
want my life to be happy”; “I want to visit my
country”; “Visit some friends and relatives”; “Help
my family”; “Bring my family together”; “I want to
marry and I want to have two children”, and “I need
children” (Cassity & Gow, 2006).
In terms of obstacles, the most often cited was having
inadequate money to pursue both their career
pathways and to help their relatives. The need to send
money to relatives remaining in dangerous situations
was a consideration for nearly all of the students. As
one 15 year old girl described: “When I finish high
school I have to look for job to help people in Kakuma
refugee camp.” Related to financial difficulties were
fears of unemployment: “No job”, “No good job”,
“Not enough money”, or “No job, no money”.
ElmCore® Journal of Educational Psychology

Students were anxious about low marks or ‘bad
results’. Nearly all cited this as a likely obstacle which
could derail their plans. Frequent reference was made
to the fear of ‘bad’ high school results. Some students
signaled trauma as a factor which may prevent them
from achieving good academic results. One student
speculated: “When I am still in university maybe I
may find it hard to give money to my family and I
may think about the war” (Cassity & Gow, 2006).

Recommendations
The outcomes of study resulted in a number of
recommendations made to schools, the United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and
African Communities. It also stressed the need for
future research on pedagogy and tracking post-school
progress of older students over a longer term than
what it is currently.
Particular to transitions, a recurring theme was the
need for a community development approach (Cassity
& Gow, 2005, 2006). Schools need to identify a
number of significant staff to act as mentors and help
coordinate the transition of refugee students, as well as
appoint a staff member who can communicate with
parents (Cassity & Gow, 2006: 40). Many students
consistently identified teachers as the most important
people in helping them negotiate schools. Often a
single teacher was identified as being someone who
could give advice on a number of issues. While this
certainly presents challenges for teachers and schools,
at the same time it emphasizes the trust that students
hold in teachers as people who can help them achieve
their dreams.
It was recommended that the New Jersey State support
schools with professional learning opportunities and
resources, particularly for the needs of African
students. The research report also suggested that state
should help schools in facilitating links with
communities and support services (Cassity & Gow,
2006: 43). On a practical level, it was recommended
that the state education department initiate an African
Youth Partnership as an approach targeting African
young people and working with their schools (Cassity
& Gow, 2006: 46).
Finally, African communities themselves are crucial
groups that can assist in the transition between schools
and from school to work and further education. This
can be done importantly through further education and
recognizing young role models in their respective
fields (Cassity & Gow, 2006: 46). Earlier findings
suggest that older student mentors can be valuable
tools for immediate and long-term problem solving,
particularly when linking recently-arrived young
people with those who have been in United States for
a longer period of time (Cassity & Gow, 2005). While
the study developed a long list of recommendations,
there was a connecting theme of developing a more
Vol: 1 2014