Facilitating Character Growth through Refugee Simulations — ASN Events
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  2. Afternoon Tea & Poster Session 1
  3. Facilitating Character Growth through Refugee Simulations

Facilitating Character Growth through Refugee Simulations (#603)

Amy M. Anderson 1 2 3 , Justina M. L. Or 4 , Cheryl L. Martin 5
  1. Spokane Community College, Spokane, Washington, United States
  2. Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, United States
  3. Whitworth University, Country Homes, Washington, United States
  4. Kettering College, Kettering, OH, United States
  5. Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ, United States

Background

There are over 80 million refugees globally1. As the number of refugees rises, it may be helpful for nonrefugees to understand the lived experience of refugees. Such understanding may facilitate individual character development, which may promote positive interactions with refugees and the inclusion of refugees2. One way to develop this understanding is through refugee simulations, as they enable participants to experience parts of the rehoming process and imagine the hardship.

Aims

The study aimed to 1) illustrate the effects of refugee simulations on one’s character (as measured by character strengths: bravery, curiosity, fairness, gratitude, honesty, judgment, kindness, love of learning, perseverance, social intelligence, and zest) and 2) describe refugee simulation participants’ experience with and reflection on the simulation.

Method

The study employed a mixed-methods design and included 27 community college students from the United States as participants. The participants completed the VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS3) on the day before a refugee simulation. Then, they participated in the refugee simulation of the study. On the day after the refugee simulation, they completed the VIA-IS and adapted Guide for Reflective Practice (GRP4). The VIA-IS was used to collect data on potential character growth, and the adapted GRP was used to guide the participants to reflect on their experience and collect qualitative information about their experience and reflection.

Results

The participants experienced individual character growth, as evidenced by increases in character strengths including bravery, curiosity, fairness, judgment, kindness, love of learning, social intelligence, and zest. However, their gratitude, honesty, and perseverance did not change. Additionally, the participants described the refugee simulation experience to be transformative. They developed changed perspectives and improved empathy towards refugees.

Conclusion

The findings of this study revealed that refugee simulations are transformational activities that facilitate individual character growth and improve nonrefugees’ interactions with refugees. However, the benefits of simulated experiences may extend to the inclusion of other diverse, marginalized communities.

  1. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2021). Education. https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/education.html
  2. Anderson, A. M. (2022). Reflecting on refugee simulations as experiential learning opportunities to improve empathy and cross-cultural communication. Journal of Scholarly Engagement, 5(1), 18-26.
  3. Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. (2004). Classification of character strengths and virtues. Oxford University Press.
  4. Greenberger, S. W. (2020). Creating a guide for reflective practice: applying Dewey’s reflective thinking to document faculty scholarly engagement. Reflective Practice, 21(4), 458-472.
  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Diversity and Inclusion, Interdisciplinarity, Strengths
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