| dc.description.abstract | There is a lot of research written about unaccompanied minors in Norway, but this thesis is concerned with the individual education experiences of African unaccompanied minors. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the experiences of African unaccompanied minors regarding access to education opportunities in Norway. Based on a review of literature on unaccompanied minors, by using four theories: multiculturalism, representation, stereotypes, and education, a qualitative study was conducted with five participants originally from the Eastern part of Africa. A thematic analysis was used and themes like individual education experiences, integration, challenges, and the best interest of the child are presented. This research shows that when unaccompanied minors do not know what they want to do for further education, they are usually pushed towards vocational education by their teachers and school advisors. However, some young people saw this as degrading and used it as a motivation to get the qualification to attain higher education at the university level. While language is one of the keys to integration into Norwegian society, it is also one of the biggest challenges that affect these young people’s educational aspirations and how well they settle in Norwegian society.
Key words: African unaccompanied minors, education, integration, education experiences, degrading. | |
