Journal article
Education Recovery In Conflict-Affected Settings
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, Vol.Advanced access
14-Jul-2026
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Education recovery literature is typically positioned in developing or conflict- or crisis-affected contexts and often involves rebuilding schools and reintroducing curriculum. However, to date, the phenomenon of education recovery has not been modelled or defined in literature. Without a clear understanding of the phenomenon, resource allocation and programmatic responses lack an evidence base. Therefore, a phenomenographic methodology was employed to investigate the lived experiences and perspectives of people who had experienced education disruptions caused by political violence or war during their childhood and adolescence that affected their schooling, university and/or vocational education. Semi-structured interviews (n = 30) and a pilot survey (n = 66) were used to collect data. Findings identified outcomes of disruptions including gaps and gains in knowledge and skills (e.g. literacy and critical thinking), and personal attributes (e.g. confidence), and supports and motivations for recovery (e.g. family). The need to triage and identify root causes of disruptions was salient in the findings. The vulnerability of young adults was evident, as they report the highest negative impacts on confidence, focus, and self-efficacy. Findings show that education recovery after disruption in conflict-affected settings is a journey that is future-focused and dependent upon support.
Details
- Title
- Education Recovery In Conflict-Affected Settings
- Authors
- Alison Willis (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Additional notes
- The findings in this paper are part of a larger study, which has also been published in Willis, Devi & Whitfield (2025). While that paper explored efficacious teaching strategies and learning experiences for education recovery, this paper analyses, maps and defines the phenomenon of education recovery in conflict-affected settings. Although the findings presented in this paper are from the same study, they are distinct.
- Publication details
- Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Springer
- DOI
- 10.1007/s40653-026-00944-w
- ISSN
- 1936-153X
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Grants
- Culturally Responsive Education Recovery after Disruption and/or Trauma, 0980027697, University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991250407302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
1 Record Views