Interdisciplinary Teaching About Refugee and Migrant Policy and Experiences Using Simulation and Story

Anonymous pre- and post-survey responses were collected on the first and last day of class that gauged student knowledge of refugee and migrant definitions, issues, contemporary numerical figures, as well as their understanding of refugee and migrant stories and the impact of narrative on their learning. Statistical analysis using a repeated measures ANOVA and a paired samples t-test were conducted to test three null hypotheses: that after the interdisciplinary pedagogical interventions there would be no change in student 1) confidence, 2) knowledge, or 3) perception. The results of the tests for the 13 questions indicated a significant effect of the interdisciplinary pedagogical intervention on student confidence in their ability to discuss the material and in their knowledge about refugee and migrant laws and policies (hypothesis 1). But results did not show a significant effect on their actual knowledge of laws, policies, and numbers (hypothesis 2).