Abstract:
School disengagement is a pervasive challenge across many OECD countries, necessitating a clear understanding of its underlying causes. This paper examines the drivers of disengagement among refugee-background African parents and students in Australia using an ecological systems framework. Drawing on extensive interviews with school leaders, teachers, career advisors, student services personnel, student wellbeing staff, and community liaison officers, the study identifies seven key drivers of disengagement: significant achievement gaps, competing demands, the urge to fit in or reject, parental role uncertainty, pressure without support at home, lack of targeted support at school, and negative racial stereotypes and biases. The findings highlight the complex interplay between individual, familial, institutional, and systemic influences on school engagement. Based on these insights, the paper calls for expanding the evaluative spaces of disengagement and discusses implications for policy and practice.
Keywords: school disengagement; parents and students; ecological systems model; Australia; African refugees; policy