Training 1: participant reflections and key lessons
By Jigsaw
In this post, we share our key takeaways from the training conducted in Chad, Uganda and Zambia with the team of refugee teacher researchers.
What did we do?
In May and June 2025, research team members from Jigsaw, UNHCR and Refugee Education UK (REUK) worked with teams of refugee teachers (10 in Chad, 13 in Uganda and 13 in Zambia – overall 10 women and 26 men) on a week-long training on core research methods. Six refugee teacher researchers in each country were selected, based on observation and a short interview, to continue as peer researchers to the end of the project in March 2027.
The training covered:
- An introduction to the project and research partners. We collaboratively defined key research terms, discussed the purpose and objectives of the project and mapped the refugee education ecosystem in each context.
- An introduction to research methods: different approaches to research, the importance of clear research questions and a deep-dive into the research questions for the project. We also looked at action research and the ways research could impact the refugee teachers’ classroom practices.
- The importance of research ethics and positionality as a researcher.
- A focus on administering surveys in preparation for the first round of data collection including time to practise administering the survey in pairs.
Participant feedback
The teacher participants were overall very positive about the training. Specifically, they shared:
1. The content was useful, comprehensible and applicable even outside the context of the research project
They found the training content really useful, particularly the sessions on research ethics, research methods and research objectives. Although the concepts covered were often new to them, they found that facilitators were able to present them in ways that felt easy to understand. One participant positively reflected on the collaborative approach to the training delivery which helped participants make sense of new and complex ideas.
“The facilitators and the participants were able to break complex topics into small chunks for easy understanding. Highly interactive methods were used to deliver the topics.”
Participants thought that the topics covered in the training would help them in their work outside of the project as well. One reflected:
“The skills we have got from the training will help us to generate knowledge and solve different problems of life.”
2. Appreciation for group work and participatory approach to training delivery
Many participants reported that working in smaller groups helped them connect with others, one saying “…it was motivating since the facilitators allowed us to feel the training by participating in the groups where we learnt from our friends.”
Group work was said to be “a good opportunity to share ideas and make a strong, thoughtful and reasonable work and reach a better understanding of the concepts presented” as well as “a very helpful way to help even the weakest to understand the topic”.
The participatory approach enabled participants to feel shared ownership over the content and the larger research project. One teacher highlighted:
“The aspect of us creating our own definitions to the major terms used in the research. It felt like we were making the research feel more personal and relatable.”
Having energisers and breaks peppered across each day, and the friendly demeanour of the facilitators created a space for the participants to feel comfortable. The participatory approach also helped participants feel heard and ensured maximum engagement:
“The training delivery was very satisfying. The Inclusive, participative and practical teaching methodologies performed by the training team made acquisition of knowledge easy and promoted attention and participation of all.”
3. Well-planned logistics
Participants appreciated the timely payment of per diem and travel allowance, which enabled them to meaningfully participate in the training. Some participants had to travel from a different settlement to the location of the training and they reported on the long travel times required to reach the training location on time.
Participants also appreciated the location of the training, finding it “clean , spacious, ventilated…and a secure space to be trained from”, and enjoyed the use of a projector and visual aids.
Lessons for the next round of training
1. Create space for multi-lingual learning
Participants in Chad hugely appreciated having the training materials translated into Arabic, and delivery in Arabic with interpretation into Sudanese Arabic throughout the training. They said:
“the most positive thing is the use of Arabic language as the first language and the existence of a translator who explain and help us whenever there is something complicated”.
Conversely, participants in Uganda and Zambia, where training was run predominantly in English, reflected that they would’ve benefitted from having translation in at least one other language spoken by a majority of the participants.
2. Build in additional space for travel time
Where the training is not residential, we would have benefitted from additional travel time between refugee teacher researchers’ accommodation and the training venue. In future rounds, training times will be set accordingly.
Funding
This work is supported by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre, Canada.
