Refugee Learning Center in Indonesia: A Habitat for Refugee Well-Being in Transit

Abstract

Although students' well-being is widely researched in educational settings, little is known about how educational contexts influence the sense of well-being experienced by refugee students in transit countries. This case study examined how a refugee learning center in Indonesia helps cultivate refugee students' sense of well-being in different forms of capital. Data derived from public-facing multimodal sources included the center's annual reports, staff and students' written narratives, digital stories on social media, and other artefacts. A qualitative content analysis (QCA) illuminated the interconnected forms of resources enacted in the refugee learning center for facilitating refugee students' subjective well-being, such as accredited education programs, English-medium instruction, and extracurricular activities for cultural capital; inclusive support systems and teacher support for social capital; and job-related skills through volunteer opportunities for economic capital. This study not only broadens understanding of the connection between acquiring capital and the subjective well-being of refugees but also contributes to the dearth of literature on refugee education in Indonesia. The implications for research, policy, and practice emphasise how stakeholders can implement comprehensive programs and strategies that integrate different resources to cultivate refugee students' well-being and to further examine, sustain, and scale such programs in Indonesia and possibly elsewhere.