Playing at the edges: use of playground spaces in South Australian primary schools with new arrivals programmes

摘要

There is a large body of work that documents the ongoing marginalisation ofrefugees and other migrants from Non-English Speaking Backgrounds (NESB) inAustralia. Much of this work has discussed the way in which the Australianspace is constructed according to a particular set of "values" to whichNESB migrants and refugees must adhere if they are to be seen as"belonging" in the country. For refugee and migrant children, theconstruction of space in this way is frequently encountered within theschools into which they are placed in order to learn English in New ArrivalsProgrammes (NAPs). This paper uses a multi-method approach to examine theuse of space in two primary schools in which there are NAPs. The paperconsiders the way in which NAP and non-NAP children utilise playgroundspaces, and compares and contrasts these observations which the views ofteachers at the schools. The paper concludes that the marginalisation ofNESB refugees and migrants in the broader Australian community is reflectedin the primary school space, in which it is difficult for NAP children toclaim space as their own. Finally, suggestions based on this research areoffered for ways in which schools could become more inclusive, and morereflective of their position in a global society. Future research in thisarea could include a more detailed analysis of the power relations betweenNAP children and their classmates as they exit the program, and could alsoincorporate a larger cross-section of schools.