Educational resilience: navigation of higher education access among resettled students with experiences of forced displacement

This thesis examines the educational resilience of forcibly displaced youth resettled in British Columbia, Canada. Using narrative inquiry approach within Ungar's socio-ecological framework of resilience, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with five students who have successfully accessed higher education in BC. The narrative findings reveal that participants often frame their educational paths around stories of hope and adaptation, linking resilience to family and community support. Although the participants maintain ambitious academic goals, the interviews highlight significant barriers: disrupted schooling, language requirements, lack of timely information, and institutional exclusion. Participants' stories illuminated their agency in overcoming challenges, illustrating resilience as an active process shaped by context and relationships. The study contributes new insights into the complexities of forcibly displaced youths' education and underscores the need for a nuanced understanding as well as responsive support systems in Canadian schools to foster equitable academic opportunities.