Date of Graduation

Fall 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geography and Planning

Committee Chairperson

Megan Heckert, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Matin Katirai, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jongwoong Kim, Ph.D.

Abstract

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine that started in late February 2022 triggered a refugee crisis that reverberated throughout Europe. During the onset of the invasion, an estimated five million Ukrainian refugees, mostly women, children, and the elderly, fled to countries in Europe and beyond. Countries were not prepared for the magnitude of the initial influx of refugees, who are a vulnerable population who require specific immediate and long-term supports. As three years have passed since the start of the war, the needs of refugees have evolved, and resources providing educational support to refugee children have taken on increased importance. Through this exploratory spatial data analysis, I examine the spatial distribution of resources in relation to the refugee population in order to assess the extent to which existing resources match the distribution of refugee students living in Poland, with the ultimate goal of identifying areas that are in need of additional resources. GIS and spatial statistics in the form of Local Moran’s I are used to examine spatial patterns and clustering throughout Poland.

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