Reimagining Refugee Education through Teacher Voice: Post-Migration Ecologies in K12 Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Decolonial Voices and Educational Futures Across Borders

Abstract

This case study reveals how English language teachers in high-migration public schools in Istanbul envision future-oriented practices to support equity in refugee education. Drawing on the Post-Migration Ecology Framework, we explore the structural, interpersonal, and cultural factors that shape Foreign National Students’ learning experiences through teachers’ insights. Focus group interviews with 15 English teachers revealed multilevel responses, micro (in-class communication), meso (school-wide inclusion), and macro (policy-based demands for equity). Our findings highlight teacher agency, empathy, and pedagogical adaptability as mechanisms to overcome barriers at the system level. Our work contributes to the research by positioning teacher voice at the center as a prime lever for equity, and by offering practitioner-informed pathways for restorative and transformative conversation in refugee education contexts.

Authors

• Özge KURU, Turkish Ministry of National Education

• Derin Atay, Bahcesehir University