Global Explorers: Our Changing World · 6th Class · People and Settlement · Summer Term

Push and Pull Factors of Migration

Analyze the various factors that compel people to leave their homes and attract them to new destinations.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Human Environments
• NCCA: Primary - People and Other Lands

About This Topic

Push and pull factors frame the reasons people migrate, with push factors like economic hardship, political conflict, social discrimination, or environmental disasters compelling departure from home. Pull factors, such as job opportunities, safety, family ties, or better services, draw migrants to new areas. In 6th class, students classify these into economic, social, political, and environmental types, directly supporting NCCA Primary Human Environments and People and Other Lands strands. They answer key questions by examining real cases and building decision-matrices to weigh choices.

This topic connects personal stories to global patterns, including Ireland's Famine-era emigration or modern refugee movements, to build empathy and critical thinking. Students practice systems analysis by seeing how factors interact, preparing them for complex societal issues. Decision-matrices sharpen evaluation skills as they rank factors quantitatively.

Active learning benefits this topic greatly because it turns abstract forces into relatable scenarios. Role-plays and group debates let students inhabit migrant perspectives, fostering deeper understanding and retention through discussion and collaboration.

Key Questions

1. Differentiate between economic, social, political, and environmental push factors.
2. Explain how pull factors influence migration decisions.
3. Construct a decision-matrix to illustrate a migrant's choices.

Learning Objectives

• Classify push factors of migration into economic, social, political, and environmental categories.
• Explain how specific pull factors, such as job opportunities or political stability, influence an individual's decision to migrate.
• Analyze case studies of migration to identify and differentiate between the push and pull factors involved.
• Construct a decision-matrix to illustrate the process of weighing different push and pull factors when considering migration.

Before You Start

Introduction to Human Geography

Why: Students need a basic understanding of how people interact with and are influenced by their environment and societies.

Types of Communities

Why: Understanding different community structures helps students grasp the social and political aspects that can act as push or pull factors.

Key Vocabulary

Push Factor	A reason that causes people to leave their home country or region, often due to negative conditions.
Pull Factor	A reason that attracts people to move to a new country or region, typically due to perceived positive opportunities.
Economic Migration	Movement of people from one place to another for the purpose of improving their financial situation, usually by finding work.
Political Migration	Movement of people due to political reasons, such as persecution, conflict, or lack of freedom in their home country.
Environmental Migration	Movement of people forced to leave their homes because of natural disasters or environmental degradation, like floods or desertification.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

All migration stems only from economic reasons like poverty.

What to Teach Instead

Factors often overlap, with political violence or climate events equally critical. Sorting activities in groups reveal combinations, while peer discussions challenge single-cause views and build nuanced thinking.

Common Misconception

Push and pull factors balance equally in every decision.

What to Teach Instead

Push factors frequently dominate, forcing urgent moves. Decision-matrix tasks quantify imbalances, and role-plays show emotional weights, helping students through hands-on comparison.

Common Misconception

Migrants always plan to stay permanently in new places.

What to Teach Instead

Many migrate temporarily or return. Case study debates explore circular migration, with group mapping clarifying patterns beyond linear journeys.

Active Learning Ideas

Pairs: Build a Decision Matrix

Pairs receive a migrant scenario, like a family facing drought. They list 5 push and 5 pull factors for two destinations, score each 1-5 on importance, then select and justify the best choice. Share one matrix with the class.

30 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Case Study Sort

Provide cards with real migration factors from cases like Syrian refugees. Groups sort into push/pull categories, discuss influences, and present one economic vs. environmental debate. Use visuals for support.

40 min·Small Groups

Whole Class: Migration Role-Play

Assign roles as migrants facing push factors. Class votes on pull destinations using a shared projector matrix. Debrief on decisions and real outcomes.

35 min·Whole Class

Individual: Factor Journal

Students reflect on a video clip of migration, noting 3 push/pull factors personally. Pair-share then class chart to connect ideas.

20 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• During the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, millions emigrated from Ireland due to crop failure (environmental push factor) and starvation (economic push factor), seeking better lives in countries like the United States and Canada (pull factors).
• Today, aid organizations like the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) work with individuals fleeing conflict zones in places like Syria or Ukraine (political push factors), helping them resettle in countries offering safety and new opportunities (pull factors).
• Skilled workers in fields like technology or healthcare often migrate to countries with high demand for their expertise, seeking better salaries and career advancement (economic pull factors) while leaving behind saturated job markets (economic push factors).

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a brief scenario about a person considering migration. Ask them to list two push factors and two pull factors from the scenario, labeling each as economic, social, political, or environmental.

Quick Check

Show images or short video clips depicting different migration scenarios (e.g., a family leaving a war-torn region, a person moving for a job). Ask students to hold up cards labeled 'Push' or 'Pull' to identify the primary force shown.

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'If you had to move to a new country, what would be the most important factor influencing your decision?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their chosen factor and explain why it is more significant to them than others.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are examples of push and pull factors for 6th class?

Push factors include war, famine, or flooding that force people out; pull factors offer jobs, schools, or peace. Use Irish Famine as push (potato blight, starvation) and America as pull (land, work). Relate to Ukraine: push from invasion, pull to Ireland's safety. Matrices help students categorize and compare 60 words.

How to teach push pull migration factors in primary?

Start with relatable stories or videos, then classify factors on charts. Build to decision-matrices for analysis. Link to Ireland's history for context. Hands-on sorts and role-plays keep engagement high, aligning with NCCA strands on human environments. Assess via group presentations.

What active learning strategies work for migration push pull factors?

Role-plays let students act as migrants weighing choices; group card sorts classify factors quickly. Decision-matrices in pairs quantify decisions, sparking debates. Whole-class mapping visualizes flows. These build empathy and skills, as collaboration uncovers factor interactions missed in lectures. Track growth through reflections.

How do push pull factors link to Irish migration history?

Famine pushed millions out due to crop failure and poverty; America's jobs and land pulled them. Today, Ireland pulls EU workers with economy, while some push from high costs. Use timelines and matrices to compare past/present, fostering national-global connections in NCCA curriculum.