ABSTRACT

During cultural transition, refugee-background youth in Australia must navigate adolescence and the demands of cultural transition and adaptation, including educational and employment decisions. Using a qualitative methodology we report on a study exploring the influence of family – including parents, siblings and extended family members – on youth aspirations and decision-making regarding education and employment pathways. Based on interviews with 79 participants (46 refugee-background youth aged 15–26 years and 33 parents or caregivers) residing in regional and metropolitan South Australia, we find that although there were some tensions between youth and family expectations, motivations, identities, and acculturation in resettlement, there were also mutual support strategies that strengthened family relationships and supported youth aspirations. We note four key themes: ‘motivating and supporting’ or how families supported youth to select their future education and employment pathways; ‘Independence versus influence’ or to what extent families influenced youth decision-making; ‘clash of expectations’ between parents and youth expectations; and ‘family responsibilities’ that interfered with youth aspirations. Implications of study findings for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

摘要

在文化转型期间，澳大利亚的难民背景青年必须应对青春期以及文化转型和适应的需求，包括教育和就业决策。我们使用定性方法报告了一项研究，该研究探讨了家庭——包括父母、兄弟姐妹和大家庭成员——对青年人在教育和就业途径方面的抱负和决策的影响。根据对居住在南澳大利亚地区和大都市的 79 名参与者（46 名 15-26 岁的难民背景青年和 33 名父母或看护人）的采访，我们发现尽管青年与家庭的期望、动机、身份和行为之间存在一些紧张关系除了重新安置中的文化适应之外，还有加强家庭关系和支持青年愿望的相互支持战略。我们注意到四个关键主题：“激励和支持”或家庭如何支持青年选择他们未来的教育和就业途径；“独立与影响”或家庭对青年决策的影响程度；父母与青少年期望之间的“期望冲突”；和干扰青年愿望的“家庭责任”。讨论了研究结果对未来研究、政策和实践的影响。