Development and evaluation of an occupational therapy program for refugee high school students

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Educational psychology
• Refugee studies

Background:

• Adolescents from refugee backgrounds face significant challenges in adapting to new school environments.
• Effective school participation is crucial for the academic and social integration of refugee youth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and discuss the development of an occupational therapy program.
• To facilitate school participation for high school students from refugee backgrounds.

Main Methods:

• Action research methodology employed over 18 months across three cycles.
• Collaborative program development involving occupational therapists, school staff, and principals.
• Data collection through interviews, questionnaires, and document review.

Main Results:

• The program evolved from individual task mastery to a social competence-focused, activity-based group approach.
• Significant shifts in program focus occurred across the three action research cycles.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing social competence improved refugee students' readiness for learning and school engagement.
• The program fostered better collaboration between occupational therapists and teachers in the school setting.
• Action research proved effective for developing programs in novel practice areas.